Icelandic Whalers Harpoon Their First Victims

by Maria A. Schulz and ANC Staff

Icelandic whalers have already harpooned their first two whales in their resumption of whale hunting activities this month after a 14 year hiatus, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) reports.

The whalers stated they will not be returning to harbour until they have killed a third.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States was "extremely disappointed" at the killing and would consider imposing sanctions against Iceland.

Iceland began hunting again after announcing earlier this month that it intends to kill 38 minke whales between August 15 and September 30, for "scientific" purposes.

That announcement was met with criticism from the United States, United Kingdom and Germany (three countries that together import 40% of Iceland’s fish exports), as well as 14 other nations.

All 17 countries filed formal objections to Iceland’s refusal to recognize the international ban on whaling.

Environmentalists expressed dismay as news came last week of the slaughter of the first whale.

"I am sickened to hear this news," Gill Sanders of IFAW told Reuters.

Sanders was in Reykjavik to monitor the whale hunt, which she said is pointless from a scientific standpoint.

"There’s absolutely no need to go out and kill whales in the ocean," Sanders said, pointing out that approximately 10 dead minke whales are washed ashore in Iceland every year.

"[Scientists] can cut [the washed-up whales’] stomachs if they want to find out what they have been eating," Sanders said.

Fearing international reaction, Iceland has imposed a media blackout on the harpooning of the whales.

"By their own admission, the Icelandic whalers won’t allow camera crews to film whales being slaughtered because it is such a cruel and distressing business," Sanders said. "It can take several shots from the exploding harpoon before the whale is finally dead, causing the animal unbelievable suffering."

"It is a shocking and horrific spectacle and even the whalers themselves are too ashamed to let the world see it."

This media blackout applies not only to international media but also to local Icelandic media, who are particularly outraged. Media are, however, being allowed to take pictures of the whale once it is finally dead and carved up by the hunters.

"There is no humane way to kill a whale and a harpooned whale can suffer for up to an hour and a half before it dies," Sanders said. "The actions of the whalers speak for themselves. They know what they are doing is unacceptable and no cover up will change that."

Iceland’s President Olafur Ragner Grimsson meanwhile called the hunt legitimate, on the grounds that "the whale population is a consumer of vast quantities of fish stocks." Scientists in Iceland claim a need to research the impact of the growing whale populations on fish stocks vital to the livelihood of Iceland’s fishermen.

The British-based Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), however, said Iceland’s "so-called scientific hunt" is simply a front for reviving commercial whaling activities.

Commercial whaling has been banned internationally since 1986, because 13 of the world’s great whale species are endangered. Iceland finally complied with the ban in 1989, following a lengthy trade ban. Iceland has announced plans to resume commercial whaling as soon as 2006.

Iceland’s decision to resume whaling is expected to have a profound effect on its economy and international standing. The Icelandic Tourist Industry Association has voiced strong opposition to the decision.

Forty percent of all Iceland’s tourists engage in whale watching, and the country is considered the finest whale watching destination in Europe. Whale watching has been the fastest growing sector of the tourist industry in the country, worth around $8 million (USD) annually.

"Iceland’s determination to start killing whales again will cast an indelible stain on their international reputation," said Fred O’Regan, IFAW’s President.

"We would urge them to think long and hard about the shame that this will bring on them and put an end to this cruel and needless slaughter," he said.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.