Whale hunting vessel Hvalur 9 has stopped hunting for the winter, having landed seven of the nine whales covered by the set whale-hunting quota. Whaling is being discontinued mainly due to poor visibility and the bad weather forecast for the next several days, according to Kristján Loftsson, General Manager of Hvalur hf., but also because the crew of Hvalur 9 holds jobs elsewhere and cannot take more time off. This is reported in all the main media.
According to Loftsson, the ship will now sail to Reykjavík where it has been moored for the past 16 years. He does not expect revenues from the hunting to cover costs, is not concerned about the sale of the whale meat and dismisses claims that the meat will not find buyers in Japan. In response to why the meat will not be sold on the domestic market, Loftsson told RÚV online that Icelanders generally do not buy meat from fin whales, as it is considered too coarse.
