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Hiding Whales Evade Hunters in Iceland

Hiding Whales Evade Hunters in Iceland

As Charles Dickens once said, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The Icelandic Magazine has proclaimed this whaling season to be the worst one since whaling resumed in 2006; meaning, of course, that this has been the best one for the whales whom they seek to kill.

17 minke whales were murdered this year, a tragedy in itself. However, this is opposed to 46 from the previous year, and out of a total quota of 220 – a number that is set based on questionable theories of how many whales are alive in the area, and which certainly does not take into account how the whales, their families and friends feel about witnessing their loved ones perishing in such slow and agonizing ways.

The manager of one of the whaling companies cited weather as one of the reasons for the decreased hunts, but also that the whales may be “hiding.”

In a comment left below the article, Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ruminated that perhaps, “The word is out in Minke whale nation that [Iceland whalers] should be avoided.”

It’s important to note that not all Icelanders agree with whaling, and some say that it is in fact American tourists who account for most of the whale meat consumption in the country. Additionally, the whale watching industry has been booming, accounting for more ships than the whaling fleet itself. Nonetheless, we hope that the whales off the coast of Iceland, and throughout the world’s oceans, get better at hiding from whalers from now on.

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