Norway Continues to Slaughter Hundreds of Whales Per Year Despite International Ban

In 1982, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) issued a moratorium declaring that commercial whaling would be stopped from 1986 onwards. Forty years later, Norway, in open defiance of the agreement, continues to kill hundreds of whales every year; 15,000 total have been slaughtered since the ban took effect. Norwegian whalers killed 580 whales during the 2022 season alone, the highest number in six years, suggesting that the industry is nowhere near stopping on its own. 

Source: ABC News (Australia)/YouTube

Commercial whaling is problematic for many reasons. Firstly, whales are generally shot with grenade harpoons, where they suffer and bleed out for as long as 25 minutes before death. This is a horrific process for these highly intelligent animals who feel pain, experience emotions, and are known to grieve for their dead.

Animal cruelty alone should justify an end to whaling, but new research has uncovered that whales are also incredibly important to marine ecosystems. They keep the food chain balanced, circulate nutrients in the ocean, and stimulate the growth of phytoplankton. Whales also help fight climate change by increasing the ocean’s ability to capture carbon, according to Siri Martinsen, veterinarian and head of NOAH, Norway’s largest animal protection NGO.

“This has gone on for 40 years too long — now the catch must be discontinued,” she said. “In addition, this year the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment produced a report which shows that we have very poor knowledge of the minke whale population. This too should justify an end to whaling.”

Norway initially submitted a formal objection to the IWC ban on whaling to contribute to the market for whale meat, but that market has declined and has now all but disappeared. According to a recent poll conducted by NOAH, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation), only 2 percent of Norwegians eat whale meat often, down from 4 percent in 2019. Of those surveyed, none under the age of 35 reported eating whale meat frequently. In addition, nearly two-thirds of respondents found the practice of harpooning unacceptable, demonstrating the opposition of the population of Norway to commercial whaling. 

Sign this petition to end the cruel and unnecessary commercial whaling industry.

Related Content:

• Japan’s Failing Commercial Whaling Industry Sells Whale Meat as Pet Food
• Finally! Iceland to End Whaling in 2024 as Demand and Profits Dwindle
• Norway Whaling Season Wipes Out 575 Minke Whales
• 5 Facts About Whaling That Will Shock You
• Norway and United States Continue to Experiment on Endangered Whales Despite Backlash

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