Just a week after the government’s announcement of the resumption of commercial whaling in Iceland, reports from local media on Thursday revealed that hunters had already killed their first two fin whales and were expected to return to port on Friday.

Hvalur is the company responsible for the ongoing whale hunting operations in Iceland, and each of its ships harpooned a fin whale on Thursday, all under strict conditions.

Japan, Iceland, and Norway remain the only three countries permitting commercial whale hunting, despite facing criticism from environmentalists and advocates for animal rights.

Iceland had temporarily halted its whale hunt on June 20 for a period of two months following a government-commissioned report that concluded the hunt was not in compliance with the country’s Animal Welfare Act.

Monitoring conducted by Iceland’s Food and Veterinary Authority during the fin whale hunt, which involves the use of explosive harpoons, revealed that the killing process took too long, violating the core objectives of the Animal Welfare Act.

Shocking video footage released by the veterinary authority depicted the prolonged suffering of a whale during a five-hour hunt.

The government’s recent decision to allow the hunt to resume as of September 1 came with “detailed and stricter requirements for hunting equipment and hunting methods, as well as increased supervision.”

This included the presence of inspectors from the Directorate of Fisheries on board the whaling vessels, recording each kill.

Hvalur’s vessels initially faced delays in setting out to sea after the ban was lifted on September 1.

Adverse weather conditions hindered their departure, and they were further obstructed for several days by two demonstrators who climbed the masts of the vessels to protest against the whale hunt.

Traditionally, Iceland’s whaling season concludes in late September or early October.

Annual quotas allow for the killing of 161 fin whales, which are the second-largest marine mammals after blue whales, and 217 minke whales, one of the smallest species.

However, whalers have struggled to meet these quotas, with 148 fin whales killed in the previous year.

Animal protection charity Humane Society International expressed strong disapproval of Iceland’s decision to resume whaling, describing it as “a devastating and inexplicable choice.”

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