Karim Iliya

Urge Iceland to end whaling!

Iceland’s gruesome whale hunt is scheduled to begin this summer. Iceland is one of only three countries in the world that still hunts whales commercially, defying a global commercial moratorium. Up to 318 fin and minke whales could be killed this year.

There is virtually no demand for whale meat within Iceland. Whales already face multiple threats in the ocean from entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes, pollution and climate change. To kill them with exploding harpoons for meat that nobody needs, and in defiance of the global moratorium, is unacceptable.

Iceland’s Minister of Industries at the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries has pledged to introduce a bill to ban whaling later this year, but in the meantime, whales will suffer and die unless action is taken. Minister Hanna Katrín Friðriksson has the power to end the senseless killing and begin a new and compassionate chapter in Iceland’s relationship with whales.

Please urge Minister Friðriksson to prevent commercial whaling from taking place this summer and introduce the bill to ban whaling as soon as possible.

Your message

Subject*

Minister

Hanna Katrin

Fridriksson

Iceland

atrn

Iceland

Dear Minister Friðriksson,

I write to you, along with citizens from countries around the world, and as a supporter of Humane World for Animals, to warmly welcome your pledge to introduce a legislative bill to ban commercial whaling later this year. However, I am am horrified that quotas for the killing of fin and minke whales have been announced and that the hunt could be allowed to happen again in Icelandic waters this summer. Whale hunter Kristjan Loftsson has been granted a whale killing quota of up to 318 whales just months before a bill to ban whaling hopefully comes before policy makers. Thankfully, no minke whales have been killed in recent years, and the actual number of fin whales killed has been far fewer than the quota allowed, but with the immense suffering these sentient ocean giants experience during the hunt, even the death of a single whale is a moral failure. In past Icelandic whale hunts, pregnant mother whales have been slaughtered, and a report by the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority found that 41% of whales took an average of 11 and half minutes to die, with some whales harpooned multiple times, leading to unimaginable and prolonged suffering. Others took up to two hours to die. This is totally unacceptable.  

The fin whales targeted by Iceland’s hunts are classified by the IUCN as globally vulnerable to extinction. Great whales also provide vital ecosystem services, including sequestering carbon and thereby combating climate change. Our global community must come together to reduce all human-induced causes of whale deaths for the collective wellbeing of both whales and humankind. Furthermore, Iceland can benefit far more from whale watching than whale killing in terms of profitability, ecological sustainability and consideration of animal welfare.    

The world will watch in horror if whales once again suffer and die for Iceland’s hunt this season. I urge you to take all and any action available to you to prevent the hunt this summer and to introduce the bill as soon as possible to end this cruelty once and for all. Let this be the last year that these magnificent animals face the threat of slaughter in Icelandic waters.     

Yours sincerely,

{user_data~First name} {user_data~Last name}
{user_data~Country}

Your information

Country

First name

Last name

Street address

Apartment, suite or other

City

State/region

State

Postal code

Email address

Mobile phone number (optional)

Phone number

(Optional) By providing your U.S. mobile number, you agree to receive periodic text messages from Humane World for Animals with updates and ways you can help animals. Msg & data rates may apply. Text STOP to 77879 to opt out, HELP for info. Privacy Policy. Terms & Conditions.

By providing your mobile number, you agree to receive periodic text messages from Humane World for Animals with updates and ways you can help animals. Standard msg & data rates may apply. Text STOP or ARRET to 77877 to opt out, HELP or AIDE for info. Privacy Policy. Terms & Conditions.

Yes, I’m happy to be contacted by phone.

Yes, I’m happy to be contacted by SMS.

Send me email updates and quick actions I can take to help protect all animals.

We’d love to keep you updated about how your support makes a difference for animals and how else you can help.

We’ll only use your personal information for the purposes you agree to. For full details, please see our Privacy Policy.

Yes, I want to receive emails from Humane World for Animals about how I can get involved to help end animal cruelty including raising vital funds. I understand I can opt out at any time.

[Consent Modal]