Iceland brings home first catch of whaling season

Iceland has brought ashore the first catch of its 100-day annual whaling season.

Iceland, Norway and Japan have caught thousands of whales since the 1980s, when a worldwide moratorium was imposed. They argue they are not bound by a total ban.

Despite international condemnation, pro-whaling countries defend their right to hunt whales.

Japan does so for what it says is scientific research.

Norway and Iceland carry out full commercial whaling. Most of the meat ends up in restaurants and on dinner tables.

This year’s season opens against a backdrop of failed talks on replacing the current moratorium with a controlled cull by pro-whaling countries.

Protesters at the International Whaling Commission meeting in Morocco had called for the moratorium to be kept in place. For them, killing whales, like killing humans, is fundamentally wrong.

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