One-hundred-and-thirty tons of fin whale meat arrived in Sundahöfn, Reykjavík’s harbor, on Sunday. The meat was destined for Japan but was removed from the freighter Evergreen Line in Hamburg and returned to Iceland
Archive photo copyright Icelandic Photo Agency.
Following the event, Icelandic transport company Samskip announced its decision to discontinue shipping of whale meat. It’s uncertain what will happen with the meat, ruv.is reports.
In spite of continued whale export being questionable, whaling company Hvalur has carried on with the hunting of fin whales, bringing the total of hunted fin whales this season to 64.
The animal welfare organization IFAW and the Icelandic Whale Watching Organization protested Iceland’s commercial whaling last weekend, calling it pointless.
“One is bound to ask about the purpose,” IFAW representative Sigursteinn Másson told visir.is. He is eager to hear the plans of Hvalur CEO Kristján Loftsson, who has not commented on the whale meat being returned to Iceland.
“What is he going to do with this meat when he won’t be able to export it? He won’t sell it here. And the market is difficult in Japan, as can be seen in that they’re trying to make various other products out of it than food for people,” Sigursteinn concluded.
It turned out that some of the Icelandic fin whale meat sold to Japan had been used for dog food.
Related:
17.07.2013 | Icelandic Company to Stop Shipping Whale
11.07.2013 | Whale Meat Registered as Fish, Returned to Iceland
ESA
