Dan_P
Contributor
Hi Divers,
As you may have heard, an Icelandic fishing/whaling company ("Hvalúr") killed a protected Blue Whale, the largest animal on the planet, on July 7th.
There have been reports of glory pictures being taken and shared by the crew alongside and on top of the dead whale, which is protected by IWC (International Whaling Commission).
I have made no effort to find any such pictures, or to confirm whether they were in fact taken.
Blue Whales are protected world-wide since the 1960s, and today no full assessment of the species' status (numbers) exists. They're known to be only a fraction of pre-industrialized hunting numbers, however, the available information suggests that numbers are - encouragingly - increasing.
This is no doubt due to IWCs ban on hunting them, and most countries adhering to that ban and protection.
-ongoing-
Mgt. director of Hvalúr, Kristjan Loftsson, seems to initially defend the killing by a position that the whale may have been a hybrid between Blue Whale (protected) and Fin Whale (which, incidentally, is also protected by IWC but not local Icelandic law), according to CNN:
"We have never caught a blue whale in our waters since they were protected," Kristján Loftsson, managing director of Hvalur hf, told CNN. "We see them in the ocean. When you approach a blue whale, it's so distinct that you leave it alone."
Meanwhile, expert Dr. Phillip Clapham of NOAA Alaska Fisheries Centre counterargues:
"While I can't entirely rule out the possibility that this is a hybrid, I don't see any characteristics that would suggest that. From the photos, it has all the characteristics of a blue whale; given that - notably the coloration pattern - there is almost no possibility that an experienced observer would have misidentified it as anything else at sea."
The Icelandic government has stated that it will be looking into the matter.
Here is an article link about the case.
Note that the article is from Sea Shepherd Global.
As you may have heard, an Icelandic fishing/whaling company ("Hvalúr") killed a protected Blue Whale, the largest animal on the planet, on July 7th.
There have been reports of glory pictures being taken and shared by the crew alongside and on top of the dead whale, which is protected by IWC (International Whaling Commission).
I have made no effort to find any such pictures, or to confirm whether they were in fact taken.
Blue Whales are protected world-wide since the 1960s, and today no full assessment of the species' status (numbers) exists. They're known to be only a fraction of pre-industrialized hunting numbers, however, the available information suggests that numbers are - encouragingly - increasing.
This is no doubt due to IWCs ban on hunting them, and most countries adhering to that ban and protection.
-ongoing-
Mgt. director of Hvalúr, Kristjan Loftsson, seems to initially defend the killing by a position that the whale may have been a hybrid between Blue Whale (protected) and Fin Whale (which, incidentally, is also protected by IWC but not local Icelandic law), according to CNN:
"We have never caught a blue whale in our waters since they were protected," Kristján Loftsson, managing director of Hvalur hf, told CNN. "We see them in the ocean. When you approach a blue whale, it's so distinct that you leave it alone."
Meanwhile, expert Dr. Phillip Clapham of NOAA Alaska Fisheries Centre counterargues:
"While I can't entirely rule out the possibility that this is a hybrid, I don't see any characteristics that would suggest that. From the photos, it has all the characteristics of a blue whale; given that - notably the coloration pattern - there is almost no possibility that an experienced observer would have misidentified it as anything else at sea."
The Icelandic government has stated that it will be looking into the matter.
Here is an article link about the case.
Note that the article is from Sea Shepherd Global.
