Norwegian whaling season begins
The Norwegian whaling season has begun with hunters heading out to the Barents Sea, but the decline of the whaling industry in Norway is reflected the smaller number of boats taking part in the slaughter this year. Just 17 vessels are reported to have left Norwegian shores, three fewer than last year.
Despite whaling being on the decline in Norway and its fleet shrinking in size, the country has set the same high quota of over 1,000 minke whales for slaughter this year. Around 500 whales were killed in each of the previous two year’s hunts, which end in August.
Norway, Iceland and Japan are the only countries who break the international moratorium on commercial whaling.
