Iceland
Iceland returned to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 2002, having officially left some years earlier in protest over the 1986 commercial whaling ban.
Technically, Iceland should thereafter have been bound by the commercial whaling ban decision, because this was one of the prevailing conditions when it rejoined the Commission. The Icelandic Government ignored calls from many nations, including Australia, to adhere to this position and has since taken whales using both the "objection" and scientific permit loopholes.
At the 2003 IWC meeting Iceland presented a scientific permit proposal to take 100 minke, 100 fin and 50 sei whales per year for two years for "feeding ecology studies". It has not yet taken whales in these numbers, but the hunt has increased in recent years. In 2006/07 60 minke whales were taken under scientific permit and an additional six fin whales and one minke under the commercial whaling ban objection. In 2007/08 39 minkes were taken under scientific permit and another six under the objection provision.
Icelandic whaling increased
Early in 2009, only weeks before the Icelandic coalition government resigned in the wake of protracted hostile public reaction to the nation's financial crisis, the Fisheries Minister announced expanded national whaling quotas. Iceland's whalers were granted 100 minke whales and 150 endangered fin whales per year, for five years.
Ms Johanna Sigurdardottir became the new Prime Minister of Iceland on 1 February 2009. A popular politician in Iceland, Prime Minister Sigurdardottir reportedly has a good relationship with the Green-Left Movement. Unfortunately this has not been sufficient to bring about a change in the position on whaling. Quite the opposite in fact.
Newly appointed Fisheries Minister Steingrimur Sigfusson has made it clear that the Sigurdardottir government has no intention of phasing out or even reducing Norwegian whaling.
The 2010 quotas issued to the whaling industry total 200 minke and 200 fin whales, all under the IWC objection provision.
Trade fears
There are doubts as to whether such quantities of whale meat can be consumed in Iceland, and there are concerns about plans to sell a large quantity of the surplus to Japan. Any such transactions, especially in terms of fin whale meat, would contravene international agreements in the trade of endangered species.
