Whaling

Whaling has probably been conducted from Iceland since the age of settlement. However, this was on a small scale during the first centuries of human habitation. When whales were sighted close to shore people would either try to drive them ashore or spear them. These spears did not have a line attached to them, as the boats used were much too flimsy to be able to fight a tug of war with the whales. However, if the fishermen were lucky, the spear wound would eventually kill the whale and it would be beached. Strict rules applied to stranded whales. If a marked spear was found on a stranded whale, the owner of the spear would be entitled to a share of the whale, wherever the whale stranded. Natural whale strandings were also important. In Iceland, the word “whale stranding” is indeed used for good luck.

Large scale deep sea whaling has been conducted around Iceland since the Middle Ages; not, however, originally by Icelanders but by Basques from Spain and later other Europeans. The main target species in those times were right whales and possibly humpbacks since they were the easiest to catch with primitive gear, therefore the “right” whales. This hunt was largely abandoned by the late 18th century due to overharvesting.

Late in the 19th century the explosive harpoon and steam boats were invented and large scale hunting of blue and fin whales began, initially by Norwegians. Consequently, those species were overexploited in most parts of the world. This modern whaling from shore-based stations in Iceland has been conducted intermittently for over a century, from 1883 until today. The whale catches from the end of the 19th century until 1916 were mostly large baleen whales such as blue, fin, and humpback whales. In addition, Norwegian factory whalers hunted in Icelandic grounds between 1929 and 1934. Small scale hunting of fin and sei whales was also conducted from an on-shore station in Tálknafjörður, western Iceland from 1935 to 1939.

From 1948 whaling operations have been limited to one station in Hvalfjörður fjord except for common minke whales which are taken by small operators in various parts around Iceland. During the period 1948-1985 the average catch of big whales was 234 fin whales, 68 sei whales and in the period 1948-1982 also 82 sperm whales. No commercial whaling was conducted in Icelandic waters between 1985 and 2003.

Research

In 1986, the International Whaling Commission's resolution on a temporary halt in commercial whaling came into effect. Whaling for scientific purposes under a special permit in accordance with the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling took place in 1986-1989, and in those years a limited number of fin whales and sei whales were caught.

Since 2003 the Marine Research Institute of Iceland has carried out a five-year programme for cetacean research which includes the catch of a limited number of common minke whales each year. Since the conclusion of the four-year research programme in 1990, cetacean research has involved various activities including:

• Sightings surveys - in order to monitor population size and trends in connection with management.
• Research on population structure and behaviour with the aid of photo-identification, satellite telemetry and skin biopsy sampling.
• Feeding ecology and multi-species modelling.
• Monitoring and research of stranded and by-caught cetaceans

Although information is scarce on the feeding ecology of most of the 12 species regularly occurring in Icelandic waters, information on biomass and residence time gives indications of total consumption by cetaceans in Icelandic waters, and possible impact on the yield of commercially important fish species.

Commercial whaling was re-established in October 2006, when the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture permitted the catch of a limited number of common minke whales and fin whales. Whaling is now conducted by many nations; the most important being USA, Russia, Japan, Norway and Greenland.

References and further information

For full citation and further information on the main species in general see this page

Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson, University of Akureyri