Harpoons are being readied for fin whales in the North Atlantic, again
- Imogen Sawyer
- 18 hours ago
- 2 min read
Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK warns whaling ships “will not sail unwatched,
unchallenged, or unanswered”
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK (CPWF UK) has issued an urgent warning that Iceland’s last remaining whaling operation is preparing to send vessels into the North Atlantic this summer to target fin whales.
CPWF UK states that if these ships leave port, they will be actively monitored and confronted through international marine conservation operations.
“And if they sail, they will not sail unwatched, unchallenged, or unanswered.”
Kristjan Loftsson, head of Iceland’s only remaining whaling company, is reportedly pressing authorities to issue – and potentially increase – a commercial whaling quota, despite previously failing to fully utilise allocated quotas.
CPWF UK says the move is driven not by necessity or demand, but by persistence in maintaining a
practice increasingly out of step with global public sentiment and ecological reality.
”There’s no real market for fin whale meat. There’s no meaningful public appetite for whaling,”
said Rob Read, Chief Operations Officer of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK.
”And yet we are seeing renewed attempts to send ships out to hunt one of the largest and most important animals in the ocean.”
He added:
“This is not about science, sustainability, or tradition. It is about a refusal to let go of an industry that no longer has a place in the modern world. If these vessels leave port, they will be met with scrutiny,exposure, and action.”
Loftsson has claimed the Northeast Atlantic is “over-run” with fin whales – a claim strongly disputed by marine conservationists and not supported by current scientific understanding of fin whale population recovery and movement in the region.
Fin whales remain in recovery from the impacts of industrial whaling in the 20th century. Their populations were heavily depleted globally, and while some recovery has occurred, scientists continue to highlight significant gaps in understanding of their distribution, migration, and population structure in the Northeast Atlantic.
At the same time, expanding industrial fishing operations now span up to 90% of the world’s oceans, concentrating along continental shelf regions where fin whales feed. Combined with accelerating climate-driven shifts in prey availability and migration patterns, conservationists warn this places additional pressure on a species still rebuilding from historic exploitation.
Beyond ecological concerns, CPWF UK highlights the whale’s critical role in ocean systems. Through nutrient cycling, fin whales contribute to marine productivity and the stability of food webs that underpin global fisheries.
“There is also an undeniable welfare reality,” said Read. “There is no humane method of killing a fin whale at sea. The scale, duration, and nature of these hunts make them fundamentally incompatible with modern animal welfare standards.”
CPWF UK states it is preparing to monitor, document, and intervene in whaling operations this season as part of its ongoing marine protection work.
“The ocean is not an empty space to be exploited at will. If these hunts proceed, they will not do so in silence or out of sight. The world will be watching.”
The organisation is calling on the UK government and international bodies to take stronger action against commercial whaling and to support full global protection for all whale species.