DNA analysis carried out by the Icelandic Marine and Freshwater Research Institute has confirmed that a whale killed by the whaling company Hvalur hf on July 7 was a hybrid fin/blue whale. Animal rights activists as well as local experts and marine biologists had identified the whale, which carried some of the characteristics of a blue whale, as a rare hybrid. Meanwhile CNN and several other international news organizations speculated that the whale was an endangered blue whale.
While it is illegal to kill blue whales in Iceland blue/fin whale hybrids do not enjoy special protection. Hybrid whales are infertile and cannot procreate.
Read more: Scientists dispute claims by CNN that Icelandic whalers killed a protected blue whale
Scientists take samples from all whales caught by Hvalur hf. The samples are then analyzed at the end of the whaling season. The local news site Vísir reports that the DNA analysis of the animal was prioritized due to the intense controversy sparked by speculation the company had broken the law and killed an endangered animal.
Animal rights activists monitoring the activities of Hvalur hf reported the hybrid whale on July 10, sparking an intense controversy and speculation. Based on photographs taken by the activists a marine biologist at the University of Hawaii reached the conclusion that the whale looked like a blue whale.
The possibility that an endangered blue whale had been caught intensified debate in Iceland about the future of whaling in the country. The current law on whaling, passed in 2013, will expire at the end of this year. The Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, has said that she believes the law should not be renewed and that a thorough study of the ecological and economic impact of whaling should be undertaken before a decision is reached. A rapidly shrinking minority of Icelanders supports the practice. The economic significance of whaling is miniscule, while it is widely recognized by Icelanders that it damages the international reputation of Iceland.
Read more: Support for whaling continues to drop: Only 34% of Icelanders now in support
The whaling company Hvalur hf. has the right, according to Icelandic law, to hunt 161 fin whales this year. The hybrid caught on July 7 was the 22nd whale killed by the company this year. The meat from the catch is exported to Japan.
DNA analysis carried out by the Icelandic Marine and Freshwater Research Institute has confirmed that a whale killed by the whaling company Hvalur hf on July 7 was a hybrid fin/blue whale. Animal rights activists as well as local experts and marine biologists had identified the whale, which carried some of the characteristics of a blue whale, as a rare hybrid. Meanwhile CNN and several other international news organizations speculated that the whale was an endangered blue whale.
While it is illegal to kill blue whales in Iceland blue/fin whale hybrids do not enjoy special protection. Hybrid whales are infertile and cannot procreate.
Read more: Scientists dispute claims by CNN that Icelandic whalers killed a protected blue whale
Scientists take samples from all whales caught by Hvalur hf. The samples are then analyzed at the end of the whaling season. The local news site Vísir reports that the DNA analysis of the animal was prioritized due to the intense controversy sparked by speculation the company had broken the law and killed an endangered animal.
Animal rights activists monitoring the activities of Hvalur hf reported the hybrid whale on July 10, sparking an intense controversy and speculation. Based on photographs taken by the activists a marine biologist at the University of Hawaii reached the conclusion that the whale looked like a blue whale.
The possibility that an endangered blue whale had been caught intensified debate in Iceland about the future of whaling in the country. The current law on whaling, passed in 2013, will expire at the end of this year. The Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, has said that she believes the law should not be renewed and that a thorough study of the ecological and economic impact of whaling should be undertaken before a decision is reached. A rapidly shrinking minority of Icelanders supports the practice. The economic significance of whaling is miniscule, while it is widely recognized by Icelanders that it damages the international reputation of Iceland.
Read more: Support for whaling continues to drop: Only 34% of Icelanders now in support
The whaling company Hvalur hf. has the right, according to Icelandic law, to hunt 161 fin whales this year. The hybrid caught on July 7 was the 22nd whale killed by the company this year. The meat from the catch is exported to Japan.
