Commercial whaling killed nearly 3 million whales in the 20th century, reducing many global populations by up to 90%. The International Whaling Commission set a ban on commercial hunting in 1986, allowing numbers to slowly climb. Every whaling nation agreed to the ban at that time. However, Norway resumed commercial whaling in 1993, Iceland in 2006, and Japan in 2019.
So far this year, 80 adult fin whales have been killed in Iceland. Authorities there have found that harpooned animals often suffer greatly, sometimes taking up to two hours to die.
The Icelandic government is looking to update its whaling law and is considering a permanent ban on whaling. Over the past two decades, Icelandic whalers have killed more than 1,000 fin whales. Most of the whale meat produced is consumed not by Icelanders but by visiting tourists.
Norwegian whalers hunt exclusively for minke whales with an annual quota of 1,400, although far fewer are usually taken. Only 1% to 2% of Norwegians eat whale meat regularly.
In 2026, Japan authorized the commercial killing of up to 412 whales. Whale meat became a major source of cheap protein in Japan after World War II when other foods were scarce. Even by the 1960s, whale meat consumption was around 200,000 tons a year. Now it is roughly 5,000 tons, with younger generations showing little interest.
Activists in all three countries continue to protest and seek an end to whaling in their waters.
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References:
Iceland, One of Three Countries That Still Hunts Whales, Considers Ban
