Latest Whaling in Iceland Stories

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online After experiencing some heavy criticism, the South Korean government is looking to cancel a controversial plan to hunt whales for scientific purposes, according to a new report. A senior government official who spoke to Yonhap News, South Korea’s largest news agency, on the condition of anonymity said the controversy surrounding the policy was a major factor in the decision, which has yet to be formally announced. "Discussions...

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With President Barack Obama declaring June "National Oceans Month," the sanctity of the marine ecosystem resonates around the globe. Reaffirming their commitment to the oceans and those that inhabit them, Representatives Bill Keating and Howard Berman have introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives about the importance of U.S. leadership in whale conservation in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and in other...

YARMOUTH PORT, Mass., Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. President Barack Obama today announced diplomatic measures to be taken by the United States against Iceland in condemnation of its whaling activities. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW; www.ifaw.org) welcomed the move and urged the U.S. government to maintain its strong stance against Icelandic whaling. As the end of the country's whaling season approaches, no endangered fin whales have been killed this...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Environmental and welfare groups today revealed that Iceland's commercial whaling operation exported a further 133 metric tons of whale products from endangered fin whales in July despite the pending threat of U.S. trade sanctions for violating conservation agreements that protect the endangered fin whales. The 133 metric tons of whale meat worth an estimated US$1.2 million was exported to Japan in July 2011 even as the U.S....

The Obama administration has threatened Iceland with possible trade and diplomatic sanctions under a U.S. law known as the Pelly Amendment, which allows the president to act against foreign nations who defy international animal conservation rules.Under pressure by environmental groups, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke certified Iceland under the domestic law, which paves the way for retaliation against nations that break the International Whaling Commission's moratorium.The U.S. is particularly...

This year's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in the Channel Islands is expected to include hot topics on whaling by indigenous peoples and reforms to prevent "votes for cash" allegations.The UK is proposing reforms to make the IWC more open, while some are angry about US plans to maintain hunting by Alaskan natives.The meeting will also discuss proposals to ensure good practice in the whale-watching industry worldwide, and a bid to make the South Atlantic a sanctuary for whales....

The annual meeting of the 88-nation International Whaling Commission came to an end with Greenland's indigenous peoples winning the right to hunt 27 humpback whales over three years. The self-ruled Danish territory will now be able to kill and consume nine humpbacks each year through 2012, with its existing quota of more than 200 minke and fin whales cut by the same number. The decision was made on the final day of the IWC's annual meeting in Morocco. Earlier in the week a compromise deal...

AGADIR, Morocco, June 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW - www.ifaw.org) announced today that a controversial proposal to legalize whaling has failed at the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Agadir, Morocco. "Under a cloud of corruption allegations the IWC is taking a safe course, opting for a cooling off period that protects the moratorium and other IWC conservation measures," said Patrick Ramage, Director of IFAW's...

WASHINGTON, June 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Efforts to finally bring an end to the impasse between pro-whaling and anti-whaling countries in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will be the focus of the IWC's Annual Meeting, opening in Agadir, Morocco, on Monday, June 21. The "Save the Whales" campaign of the 1970s and 1980s mobilized governments and the public around the world behind the moratorium on commercial whaling, which was enacted by the IWC in 1982 and implemented in...

Companies in Norway, Japan and Iceland are betting heavily on the lifting of a commercial whaling moratorium, and are working to develop new whale-based products ranging from golf balls to hair dye, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).As members of the 88-nation International Whaling Commission (IWC) prepare for a meeting next week in Agadir, Morocco, debate on the use of hunted whales has focused on meat consumption, particularly in...