Iceland plans to introduce a bill in February 2027 that could lead to a permanent ban on whaling. The government’s parliamentary agenda says the review will specifically consider ending whale hunting.
The announcement does not mean a ban has been passed. It sets out plans to review Iceland’s Whaling Act, which dates from 1949 and has changed little since then.
Animal protection organisation Humane World for Animals welcomed the announcement. It said 80 fin whales had been killed during the current hunting season, out of a quota of 150.
The organisation also reported footage of at least seven unborn calves removed from pregnant whales. It said those calves were not included in the hunting quota.
The proposed review follows years of concern about how whales are killed.
In findings published in 2023, Iceland’s Food and Veterinary Authority, MAST, reported that 36 of 148 whales examined from the 2022 hunt had been shot more than once. Among hunts observed at sea, one whale took nearly an hour to kill and another took two hours.
MAST said some deaths took too long to meet the main aims of animal welfare legislation.
The planned bill could change the legal basis for future hunts. Whether it will introduce a ban, and when any ban would begin, remains to be decided.
Iceland, Japan and Norway are the only countries in the word that still allow whale hunting.
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