Post by OceanCare

🚨 🐋 𝗜𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱'𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. On Sunday night Iceland’s two-vessel fin whaling fleet made its first kills of the season, ending a two-year pause that had raised hopes the country might finally stop killing whales. Two fin whales already tragically lost their lives. When reports emerged earlier this season that Iceland’s only whaling company 𝘏𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘧. was already preparing its vessels, OceanCare and many others expressed deep concern and urged the Icelandic government to revoke existing permits. That the fleet has now set sail is a deeply disappointing development. 👉 The animal welfare implications are severe. Data from Iceland's 2022 whaling season show that 41% of fin whales did not die immediately after harpooning. The median time to death was 11.5 minutes, and in some cases, animals took more than an hour to die. Under the existing five-year permit, Iceland‘s Marine Research Institute has recommended a maximum catch of 150 fin whales and 168 minke whales for the current season. ⚠️ Whether whale takes get anywhere near these numbers remains to be seen. And for what purpose? Iceland's primary market is Japan, which has recently resumed hunting fin whales with its own fleet and holds significant whale meat stockpiles. Consequently, there is a question mark over whether Japan actually wants, or needs, to buy fin whale meat from Iceland.  The majority of Icelanders now want it to end. OceanCare continues to call on Icelandic policy makers to outlaw this archaic, cruel and unnecessary activity. 🔗 Read more in the comments. #Whaling #CommercialWhaling #Iceland INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION