Annual quota of fin whales hunted

Icelandic whaling company Hvalur hf. has caught its full annual quota of fin whales for the first time ever since the quota system was put in place. The hunting season drew to a close yesterday.

Hvalur ships left on their expedition on 28 June and have caught 155 fin whales in 94 days. “This is the first time since quotas were introduced that we have succeeded in reaching our annual quota,” says Kristján Loftsson, CEO of the company.

Hunting was hindered last summer by long periods of wind and rain out at sea, but this was less of a problem this year.

“[The season] went well,” says Loftsson. “Poor visibility troubled us to start with but otherwise everything went well this summer. There were lots of whales in the hunting area all summer and we didn’t have far to go.”

The fin whale is classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUNC).