Reported by Euronews with AFP
Published on 23 June 2026 at 19:59 GMT+2
Two whales were killed off Iceland’s coast late Sunday night, two days after commercial whaling resumed, according to local media and animal‑rights groups.
The killings conclude a two‑year pause and represent the first harvests since 2023.
Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV reported that two fin whales were killed; the fin whale ranks as the world’s second‑largest animal, after the blue whale.
Before the vessels departed on Friday, a protester attached himself to a mast in Reykjavík’s harbor, descended, and was taken into custody by police.
Iceland suspended its whale hunt for the past two years, largely due to declining demand and limited profitability.
“The first fin whale deaths this year are devastating,” said Joanna Swabe, European senior public affairs director for Humane World for Animals.
“Iceland has killed more than 1,000 fin whales in the past two decades — not only the world’s second‑largest animal but also a species listed as globally vulnerable to extinction,” Swabe said in a statement.
The Icelandic government announced plans to introduce legislation banning whaling this autumn.
The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986 amid concerns over dwindling whale populations.
Iceland’s Marine and Freshwater Research Institute recommends a maximum catch of 150 fin whales for the 2026 season.
This represents a 28 % reduction from the annual quota recommended for the 2018‑2025 period, the institute said.
The institute set an annual catch of 168 minke whales this year, a 23 % decrease from the 2018‑2025 period.