Sustainable whaling in Icelandic waters 2014-2018

The Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Sigurdur Ingi Jóhannsson, in collaboration with the government of Iceland, has determined the whaling permit for 2014-2018. The permit is based on the advice of the Marine Research Institute of Iceland at any time over the next 5 years. According to the advice for next year, the taking of 229 minke whales and 154 fin whales is in conformity with the objectives of sustainable utilization. The decision is furthermore in conformity with the government's policy on the sustainable utilization of the marine resources and in accordance with the resolution by Iceland's parliament, Althingi, on whaling dated 10 March 1999.

The conclusions of whale counting illustrate that about 20 thousand fin whales and at least 30 thousand minke whales are to be found in the East Greenland and Icelandic waters. The TAC (total allowable catch) as recommended constitutes less than 1% of the stock size of these two species, and is well within the limits generally focused on when ensuring sustainable whaling. It should also be borne in mind that neither of the whale species utilized by Iceland is to be found on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) list of endangered species.