Did you know that whale meat is not a traditional food of Iceland? Icelandic people do not consume whale. Contrary to popular belief, eating whale meat is not popular in Iceland, nor is it a traditional dish.
In fact, tourists are the main driver of whale consumption in Iceland. Let that sink in. Many tourists visit Iceland and are sold on an idea that whale is a traditional dish when it isn't at all.
Icelandic people do not eat whale and eating whale is not an authentic travel experience. So, as tourists, we all have a role to play. We influence what is bought and sold, and ultimately, what is killed and not killed.
Whaling, the act of hunting and killing whales, is only legal in Iceland, Norway and Japan. The act of whaling is declining due to a fall in demand. This year, whaling has been cancelled by the largest hunter of fin whales in Iceland because it isn't economically viable for the company.
But, whaling isn't banned and it can start up again anytime. The largest whaling company in Iceland will be reassessing its operations for next year, and their hunting of 200 fin whales may resume. So, what can we do?
Whaling in Iceland: An Industry in Decline
The commercial Iceland whaling industry is a long standing tradition, but it's one that's in decline. In 1986, nearly 100% of Icelanders supported whaling, but that number stands at about 29% nowadays.
Many people who support whaling are poorly informed (ie. it is necessary to slaughter whales to control a fish population) or cling to historic traditions.
The commercial whaling moratorium, established by the International Whaling Commission back in 1982 to begin in 1986, bans all commercial whale hunting. The moratorium continues today.
Iceland signed up to the moratorium "under reservation", meaning that they abide by certain rules while continuing to kill whales. Iceland hunts minke whales and fin whales.
They are only permitted to hunt a certain amount of whales every year, as set out by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. For example, in 2015, the whalers were permitted to take 154 fin whales and 229 minke whales.
Kristjàn Loftsson is the sole fin whaler in Iceland. He is responsible for killing over 35,000 whales.
The Iceland whaling industry is not lucrative; in fact, the whale watching industry is booming while the whaling industry is in sharp decline. However, tourism is one factor that keeps this cruel practice alive.
How Tourists Play a Vital Role
Contrary to popular belief, whale meat is not a traditional dish in Iceland. The amount of restaurants serving whale meat doubled between 2007 and 2012, due to a rise in tourism.
Surprisingly, 20% of tourists that visit Iceland consume whale meat thinking that it is a traditional dish. The truth of the matter is that hardly any Icelanders consume whale meat.
Many people of Iceland are progressive thinkers, and the opposition to whale hunting grows among the locals. They realize that whaling has a massive negative economic and environmental effect on their society.
What You Can Do
The real issue is that tourists won't stop eating whale meat. Some travellers will take a whale watching tour, and walk right into a restaurant for a meal made of whale right after the tour is over. How could there possibly be such a disconnect?
I can't say I'm terribly surprised. There's a huge disconnect between loving certain species of animals and eating others.
As someone who follows a vegan lifestyle, I don't support killing or eating any animal. However, for many visitors to Iceland, eating whale in Iceland is a cheap, momentary thrill that actually supports a horrific industry.
It isn't a way to experience life as the locals do. It's set up purely for tourists and it's a tourist trap in the form of food. Here are a few startling facts about whaling in Iceland (from the Ice Whale website):
- 80% or more of minke whale is trashed after killing
- 100% of minke whales are killed next to the whale watching area in Reykjavik
- it can take 60 minutes for a whale to die after being shot with an explosive harpoon
Go Whale Watching Instead
When I joined a whale watching tour in Husavik, the tour operators were quite vocal about stopping the whale hunt. They told everyone that tourists kept the whaling industry alive there.
Once you see these majestic creatures in person, I don't know how anyone could eat them. It's such a thrill to see a whale surface from the depths of the sea, watching its tail fin materialize before it plunges back into the ocean.
Dine at a Whale-Friendly Restaurant
On our whale watching tour, the operators also made an important request. They asked that not only should we stop eating these gentle giants, but we should boycott any restaurant that serves whale on its menu. I agree with them.
If you see whale openly advertised or served on any menu, please do not dine at those restaurants. There are plenty of establishments in Iceland that do not serve whale meat. We can work together to make it unprofitable to serve meals made of whale.
Whales in Iceland: Final Thoughts
I highly recommend that you travel to Iceland and observe whales in their natural habitat. There might be a knee jerk reaction to avoid travel to Iceland due to their whale slaughter. Here's why I disagree.
The tourism industry is booming in Iceland. Could you imagine if we all decided to stop travelling to Iceland? Yes, it would hurt their economy in a big way.
But, it would punish those who are providing whale watching tours and responsible wildlife viewing tours, too. Overall, it wouldn't discourage the very small percentage of those who participate in the whaling industry.
Without tourism, it's possible that citizens could be encouraged to return to their historic roots in whaling.
To summarize, here's the best way that you can be a responsible tourist in Iceland:
- Do not eat whale meat. It is not a traditional dish. Eating whale meat is selfish and means that whales will continue to be killed in the name of tourism.
- Boycott all restaurants that serve whale meat. I recommend that you dine at one of the many vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Iceland, as they are the most environmentally-friendly and don't involve killing anything.
- Take a whale watching tour. It's an amazing experience to witness whales in the wild.
- To learn more about whales in Iceland, visit the Husavik Whale Museum in Husavik, the whale watching capital of Iceland.
Please share this article or this information with anyone you know who is thinking about travelling to Iceland. We can make a difference!
Eric Feinstein says
i think we must take more drastic action and boycott travel there until there is a moratorium on
the slaughtering of these majestic intelligent mammals. Maybe the citizens of the country will then
help prevent the innocent slaughter of these amazing mammals. Sorry Iceland but you need to prevent
this from happening. As soon as it stops i will book my trip.
Linda Khandro says
I am horrified and appalled by this recent announcement: https://www.voanews.com/a/iceland-whaling/4801718.html.
As a result, my recent (and only) visit to Iceland will be my last, and I will advocate for other tourists to boycott Iceland until whaling ceases entirely. I advocate the same for Japan and other whaling nations.
The era of human exploitation of whales for any reason whatsoever is OVER.
Wendy@TheNomadicVegan says
Thanks so much for raising awareness about this, Lauren! I didn't realize tourists ate whale meat in Iceland. I wasn't vegan back when I visited Iceland, but even back then I would have been horrified at the thought of eating whale, or puffin. Now I'm horrified at the thought of eating any animal.
Lauren says
Thanks, Wendy! I definitely don't consume any meat, of course (never have, never will!) but it's very important for tourists to realize that they aren't having an "authentic" Icelandic experience by eating whale.....as most Icelanders don't eat whale! I know that the whale watching operators are trying their best to get this message out to tourists, and I felt compelled to write this article to get that message out even more. <3
Joe Fiddaman says
Awesome post. Very interesting, so sad that whale hunting still exists. Encouraging to know it's on the decline though, we will definitely remember this if we ever visit Iceland.
Lauren says
It's definitely on a sharp decline. But, people are still eating whale meat. It's startling too because it's known to be very high in mercury and definitely isn't healthy in any way. However, people sometimes think of these "strange foods" as a right of passage when you travel somewhere. In this case, it isn't a traditional food and there's really no reason to partake in eating it, unless you want to support these cruel behaviours.