Iceland has not issued a permit on time to allow Hvalur Hf to hunt fin whales this year. Namely, the Government published regulations establishing whaling quotas in February, but the timing of the permit means that Hvalur will not be able to use the quota.
Commenting on this development, the captain of whaling ship Hvalur 9 Ólafur Ólafsson, said that there will be no whaling season as the license came too late. The company has to order spare parts, which take time to arrive and until then the season would be over. Hvalur hf. has received a permit to hunt fin whales until 2023.
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In addition, a Greenpeace ship is present in Reykjavík harbour, called Esperanza. The vessel aims to follow the whaling fleets this summer, but Mr. Ólafsson said that had nothing to do with the decision to delay the issue of the permit.
Hvalur hf. is the last company in Iceland to hunt endangered fin whales.