Whales and whaling in Iceland
Whale watching in Iceland
The cool, clear North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans encircling Iceland are teeming with whales of various sizes and species. Already thousands of tourists have enjoyed whale watching from various sites around the country. The whale watching port in the north is Husavik, Whale watching is also available from the Reykjavik harbour. These locations confirm, that whales are all around the coastline. And although whale watching in Iceland is growing, it is still far from being commercial. As a pastime it is still exclusive and mostly done on small crafts. The locations are not swarming with other crafts full of tourists. Small groups are taken out. There are no other boats except those of the local fishermen and apart from sighting the majestic whales guest are treated to a variety of sea birds, seals, plus a glimpse of the midnight sun weather permitting.
Whaling in Iceland
Whaling in Iceland – Wikipedia
Whaling in Iceland began with spear-drift whaling which was practiced from as early as the 12th century and continued in a relic form until the late 19th century. The relationship with whales is reflected in the Icelandic language: hvalreki is the word for both “beached whale” and “jackpot”.[1] However, modern commercial whaling was introduced to Iceland by companies from other nations in the late 19th century. Today, Iceland is involved in commercial whaling under objection to an ongoing moratorium established by the International Whaling Commission in 1986
Iceland suspends Fin whaling due to lack of sales Iceland’s fin whale hunt is to be postponed indefinitely due to a slow demise of the industry in Iceland.
