Iceland’s internationally condemned minke whale hunting industry has shut down, citing rising costs after just six whales were slaughtered in June and none in July, traditionally the peak time for hunting. Iceland operates in open defiance of an international ban on commercial whaling which was imposed in 1986
The unexpected rise in emissions of CFC-11 was top of the agenda at the 40th Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) to the Montreal Protocol in Vienna. Tina Birmpili of the Ozone Secretariat said it was “critical to take stock of the science and take action” and urged parties to “not relax their vigilance for a second”
Iceland’s multi-millionaire rogue whaler Kristján Loftsson and his company Hvalur hf have resumed their slaughter of endangered fin whales in defiance of the international ban on commercial whaling. The hunt is Iceland’s first in three years and marks the start of a whaling season that could see up to 239 whales killed
After a two-year hiatus, Iceland’s whaling kingpin announced he intends to resume hunting endangered fin whales. The last two killing seasons were scrapped, with Hvalur hf CEO Kristján Loftsson citing ongoing difficulties with Japanese customs on imports of his whale products and the strong krona
The major Japanese retailer Ito-Yokado has stopped selling ivory products in its own stores and is asking tenants in its shopping malls to follow suit – throwing into sharp contrast the Government of Japan’s failure to act on the issue
The decision to commit $900,000 to a planning study under the Agency’s 2018 draft fiscal budget was taken despite a 30-year global moratorium on commercial whaling