Iceland's last commercial whaling company, Hvalur, is fighting a government push to end the hunt. Owner Kristján Loftsson says the industry should not be banned, pointing to healthy fin whale populations and arguing that whaling is no different from other animal agriculture. This year Hvalur caught 93 fin whales, well below its 150 quota, and still has around 1,000 tonnes of unsold whale meat in cold storage. The timing matters. The International Whaling Commission is meeting in Hobart this weekend, and Iceland's centre-left government plans to introduce a bill in February that would shut down whaling. The government's own report found that explosive harpoons can leave whales suffering for up to two hours. Japan and Norway would remain the only countries still hunting commercially. The outcome in Iceland could reshape the debate.
