Norway Increases Whaling Quota for this Year
There was a press release from the Norwegian government the other week that nobody seems to have noticed. It was a decision to increase the whaling quota this year from last year’s 1157 whales to 1406 this year.
The increase of 249 whales from last year is justified by not reaching the full quota last year. However, the totals over time seem to be more symbolic as the number of authorised whales killed is never reached.
Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Marianne Sievertsen Næss justifies the hunt as follows:
– Norwegian whaling is sustainable, strictly regulated and the minke whale population is in very good condition. Norway uses efficient and welfare-friendly fishing methods, and the large consumption of fish by whales has an impact on the ecosystem. Whaling therefore contributes to the balance of the ocean.
However, the charity WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, which works to protect whales and dolphins, says that most of the whale meat does not become human food but ends up in dog food. And that the hunting of whales itself is not sustainable because it relies heavily on government subsidies.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Norway has not yet commented on the increased quotas, but it has previously condemned Iceland’s new whaling licence for the next five years, which will allow 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales to be caught each year from 2025 to 2029.
Minke whales are the smallest whale species. Females average 8.5 m and males around 8 m, and the whales weigh between five and ten tonnes. Like other baleen whales, those found in the northern hemisphere tend to be smaller than those from the southern hemisphere.
They eat what is most abundant where they live, mainly krill and small schooling fish. In the North Atlantic they also eat sandeels, copepods, salmon, capelin, mackerel and cod.
Note: the Southern Hemisphere minke whales are a separate species, the Southern (or Antarctic) minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)
– Norwegian hunting is the deadliest in the world
– Hunters in Norway killed 414 minke whales in 2024
– Many of the whales killed are pregnant females
– The whales are hunted under an ‘objection’ to the global ban on commercial whaling
– The hunt is subsidised by the government
– Only 2% of Norwegians eat whale meat regularly
– One in four Norwegians agree that hunting should stop, one in four disagree and two in four are unsure
– Much of the meat from killed whales ends up in dog food
– Tourists are offered whale meat as a ‘taste of Norway’ and cruise ships market it to passengers on shore visits
Source: WDC
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