Icelanders are sustainable; therefore...
1
I have never understood why some people make such a big deal about whales. They're really nothing more than sea-going cows. Just because they've evolved an certain innate level of intelligence to function within their environment doesn't mean anything when you consider some of the other animals that we slaughter for food. It's not logical or smart to insist on putting certain species on a pedestal, but think nothing of munching down on others while leaving the drive-thru.
3
Why is it allowed to slaughter cows and bulls, sheep, and pigs for us to eat?
They are the same kind of mammals just like whales.
There seems some who argue against whaling business based on unfounded use of their high intelligence levels of whales, which I believe is difficult to scientifically prove and thus never been proven to my knowledge. The way of thinking seems along the line using intelligence level as a standard to differentiate in killing mammals between whales and others. I'm afraid of the negative consequences that may happen if the same way of thinking has infiltrated into human society.
I believe that such a standard is conveniently used for the sake of denying the whaling minority people or whoever consumes whale meat as they just don't comply with the same convenient standard.
1
I'm not Hunter have never hunted or shot an animal or have any desire to. The world gets upset if certain Animals are hunted and looks the other way when others are hunted. I for one have no problem with those who hunt because that's their source and only source of food. I know many will say animals that are raised for food are killed (ex, beef, pork , chicken etc) I understand the hypocrocy many will say.
2
Seriously don't know who would consume whale meat. They contain tons of mercury
3
I find this whaling to be abhorrent and inexcusable. Now, I may have missed something, but what whale products are there, and who is buying them? I only noticed Loftsson's mention of whale powder. My point is, if there's no demand, he's out of business.
3
Imagine for a second what it would be like if a single species existed which preyed on human beings for their survival, and demonstrated as much apathy about our future as we tend to.
We’d band together to wipe them out without thinking twice.
4
"If it's sustainable...keep hunting until it isn't."
3
I'm surprised Trump hasn't latched onto this issue. "Liberal whaling ban on US but not Iceland, where the slaughter continues. Costing us billions. Unfair!"
3
Nobody's out there pulling out the plastic from the ocean that's killing whales and sea creatures. The oceans are down to a small fraction of sustainable sea food some what from Asian nations alone. Plastic removal is doable but replacing the Amazon rainforest some only ten percent left from timber and now soybean farming,again from the giant Asian countries. Everybody is responsible,in the end ,but a few whales ,a few more trees ,who knows.
5
So there is a population of 40,000 in the waters where Loftsson fishes and the bleeding heart snow flaky emotional marshmallows are worried about a harvest of 300 per year?
I find it remarkable how much emotions this topic is able to cause among many americans. The only whaling done in Norway today is on Common Mink Whale. According to the IUCN its listed among least concern species (LC) and the estimated population is around 180 000 whales in the North Atlantic. Last year 438 animals were caught by Norwegian whalers. It is not endangered and the whaling can't be said to cause a significant threat to the population.
The ethical discussion is a totally different topic. Is it worse to kill animals that have lived all their live in the free, than to mass produce meat in industrial farming? Whats so fundamentally different with whales compared to other large mammals we eat? Intelligent...where to draw the line?
To be honest I think we have bigger environmental problems on this planet. Stirctly regulated small scale whaling from the two nordic countries is hardly one of them. So stop whining about this Mr. Loftsson, tourist boycott and start figuring out how to get rid of your president. That might actually mean something to the planet.
7
Where do we draw the line? For those of us who are not vegetarian, that's easy. As soon as it doesn't matter in our own lives, we become moral.
Whales are highly intelligent animals who care intensely about their families and companions. It is completely barbaric to kill them, let us not mention blowing them up from inside. Whale-watching tourists who don't want to "look the other way" have an option: they can stop whale watching in Iceland and Norway.
8
Can’t agree more.
1
On the other hand, if one considers that a whale gets that large only on krill and plankton, it makes more sense to eat them than corn fed, water guzzling beef cattle, sad to say.
There are no definitive numbers on how many fin whales survive in the oceans, although there is scientific agreement that fewer than 50,000 individuals remain in the world. Fin whales are considered endangered species by both the International Whaling Commission ("IWC") and the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
The U.S. and other IWC members have sought to persuade Iceland to end commercial whaling and the slaughter of endangered fin whales in light of the IWC 1986 ban on commercial whale-killing. The ban was enacted to allow whale species that had been hunted almost to extinction a chance to recover and survive. In 2011, the U.S. government officially declared Iceland in defiance of the IWC ban.
Iceland did not prosecute the activists who sank two Icelandic whale-killing boats in 1986 because Iceland at the time was killing whales illegally and in violation of 1986 IWC ban on commercial whale hunting. Iceland refused to prosecute as it did not want the negative publicity that a trial would engender.
When it comes to whales, Iceland and Loftsson are criminals engaged in destroying the last of the world's great whales in violation of the International Whaling Commission ban. Loftsson should be behind bars and Iceland should be sanctioned and boycotted. Extinction is forever.
Although no sanctions were implemented, the President urged Iceland to cease its commercial whaling activities. In 2013, Iceland resumed its fin whale hunt.
5
Although Japan was obliged to switch to research whaling for various reasons, there's a die-hard need for whale meats as evidenced by the mere existence of wholesale and retail shops selling the whale meet and its processed products as well as restaurants specialized in serving whale meat dishes to the general public as well as the whale meat lovers, both in several parts of Japan, though limited in numbers. I love to eat whale meats since I was a kid grown up eating the meat almost every week in the southern-most prefecture of mainland Japan where there was a seaport base for commercial whaling,which I believe still serving for the research whaling.
Last year when I went to Iceland with my wife for sightseeing, we learned that Iceland was still adamantly continuing commercial whaling regardless and also that Japan was their largest whale meat importing country. So we went to the local specialty restaurant and ate differently but deliciously cooked whale meat dish. We really enjoyed it.
So, I respectfully felt like cheering up Icelanders maintaining commercial whaling. Cheers!!
1
It is disturbing to me that the word hunt is used to describe the killing of whales for commercial purposes. Industrial harvest of any kind of animals is not hunting it is killing. The inappropriate use of the word hunt obscures the difference between legitimate hunting and killing.
3
There's no needful this, no need to harvest this meat. There will always be some people who simply don't go along with the majority and in some ways do things most of us abhor. Some would call this freedom of choice; I say there is no hope for humanity.
1
Whether you like it or not, one human life is a useless thing in environmental terms. On the other hand, one colony of ants provides a useful function environmentally, as does a bee colony. Humans have been feeding off the life of the planet for a long time and they have become major destroyers of the only home they will ever have. How bright is that?
7
"If it's sustainable, you hunt"? Well, perhaps. But that convenient little proverb makes no sense if the one judging a hunt to be "sustainable" is the one who means to profit from the sale of the dead body.
In fact, given the shifting state of marine ecosystems in this time of climate crisis and biodiversity crisis, there is no such thing as a "sustainable" fishery. All fisheries should be abolished.
3
@Mark Caponigro: His comment is based solely on the security of the extant population of whales.
He did not say: "If there is a market you hunt." He clearly said that he hunts only because their method has no detrimental effect on the health of the fin whale population. If it did, he would stop.
1
I was thinking of visiting Iceland.
No more.
Hunting whales in the 21st century is so beyond reason - no one can justify this.
Export cod and import pork or beef - but for goodness sake, Iceland, get with reality.
15
As long as Iceland continues to allow whale hunting, and the Japanese continue to consume whale meat, this man is free to continue his family business. I find it abhorrent, but he his doing nothing legally wrong. I suggest he turn his skills and assets more to conservation, tourism, education, etc. But he is legally free to keep murdering these highly intelligent mammals.
As an American, I hope my fellow citizens will also pay attention to our government's assault on endangered species being advanced by President Trump and Ryan Zinke.
Leave a comment on their proposed rule changes that undermine the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act at Regulations.gov
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0007
9
These are Icelandic natives doing what they have done since Ingólfur and his wife Hallgerdur Fródadóttir first settled in what became Reykjavík in 874AD. That is over 1100 years.
Aleuts are still taking whales around in their native waters with full support of the left. Just because the Icelanders are white should not preclude them from the same support in traditional pursuits.
11
In this article, he says "There's nothing wrong with this" as he slaughters an animal thinking that there are no consequences.
This animal is depleting very fast and could soon become extinct, and here is this guy who just goes out and slaughters them as if he has nothing better to do. I am surprised that he did not get the memo about everybody in the world trying to stop killing these creatures and yet Kristjan is the last man on the entire planet doing this. To think that a man is just stringing up families of these majestic creatures on boats and separating them from others is not only shocking, but also shows how cruel some people can be.
There isn't much I can say on how truly disappointed I am with this man just slaughtering a species like that... it's just so sad to watch or even think that there is a man, killing these fin whales. When I first say this article name, I was somewhat intrigued on what this was about because whales are becoming endangered, but now I am speechless. It just seems unfair for this creature that has done nothing wrong to be killed for fun... so disappointing to hear about.
14
Liberals need to learn to separate their psychological affinities from their calculations of what is right and wrong and from what is more or less valuable under ethical consideration.
Alas the mob thrives on emotion, that's how a mob we call a majority condemned Socrates to die, and how a majority mob installed Fascists in power in 1934 Germany, and why lynchings were rarely stopped by disapproving bystanders. Boiling blood loves company so much it will bully reason into insignificance.
4
Reading the comments, opponents to whaling often use "why don't we eat human?" false equivalency to argue why whale are special. I wonder if it is true what they said that activists consider animal lives more valuable than human's.
4
He kills whales not to make a profit but to make a point. No one is going to tell him what he can or cannot do. Besides he clearly likes the adversarial relationship he has with those who would end the killing. This is an act of ego, pride and arrogance and like all such acts the results are ethically suspect. The truth is that despite Mr. Loftson and his sister's intransigence whaling is coming to an end as a viable commercial enterprise. With his other businesses covering the costs and propping up his whaling operation you could say that this is essentially a hobby for Mr. Loftson & a bloody barbarous one at that.
26
I have seen Fin whales in the ocean. They make this Planet beautiful. And a killed whale makes our Planet look ugly. That is my only argument. I would not hunt them.
14
Loftsson has far more than enough money to retire. Give your employees several years salary & quit. Quitting is the best part of whaling. Stop trying to relive a history that doesn't conform to the modern world. Explosive tipped harpoons launched from a steel hulled ship. That's sick dude.
14
@Apple Jack: "Explosive tipped harpoons launched from a steel hulled ship. That's sick dude."
No, that is more efficient, more humane, and safer for the men at work.
In the whaling heyday of the 1800s severe injuries and death of employees happened on every single outing. Every single one. Often entire boats were lost with all hands.
Very few owners ever got rich whaling because of the lack of efficient technologies for capture and processing of whales.
Today's technology may not be as romantic to folks like yourself who have never tried to make a living at it. For those who do it, it is not a romantic sport, it is a dangerous livelihood made safer and more profitable by using modern methods.
1
Did whalers ever make apologies?
6
Disgusting. I wish Iceland's government would change their stance on this policy.
13
And they let you do it.
4
Sounds like a habit.
3
Kristjan Loftsson's entitlement issues are exactly what is killing our planet.
21
I’ve been to Iceland twice and hope to go again. It’s one of my favorite countries in the world: stunningly beautiful, culturally interesting with an entrepreneurial and educated population. I saw several restaurants offering “whale menu”. I did not order it because whales seem to be self-aware beings and this, to me, is the dividing line between persons and non-persons. If whales pass the mirror test, they deserve at least limited legal personhood. This said, whaling is part of Icelandic culture and cultures evolve at their own rate. Eventually they’ll give it up. But the fake moral outrage is ridiculous. What’s next: censoring “Moby Dick”?
2
So Kristjan Loftsson is getting rich off of the monopoly created due to the good graces of the rest of the modern world who have ceased murdering Fin whales... He is the lowest form of life on Earth.
Boycott Iceland tourism and products until they force this profiteering planetary scourge to cease and desist.
19
@Jeff I agree. We were going to spend our vacation in Iceland - not now.
11
Article reads like praise to this villain.
6
When all yôu have is a harpoon everything looks like a fish.
6
Just read the story of the Orca who totes around her dead baby
on the west coast .
Here we have a killer who brags about family death
and makes a profit by doing so
16
I hope a whale eats him one day. But they are too kind to do that.
12
gee, ya gotta wonder why there is an 'International' moratorium on hunting whales. Just because?
8
"If it's sustainable, you hunt." OK, lets apply that to Loftsson. There seem to be plenty of other people like him in the world, so we wouldn't miss one of them or even notice that he's gone.
Of course some of those sensitive tourists might not like seeing his carcass dragged behind a boat, but "They can just turn around and look the other way."
10
There is something refreshing and even admirable about the direct and honest psychopath. I mean, at least they are honest.
On the other hand, they are still a psychopath that enjoys killing.
8
THis is sickening. There is nothing that is needed from a dead whale. Can't we just say we are through with whaling the way we are through with slavery? Detonating a charge within the body of a whale. How disgusting and shameless. I maybe could understand it if there was some risk at all in the hunting. But no, just down right murder.
9
Wow that is insanely disgusting.
14
The beauty of such a gentle giant.
Beneath the ocean’s surface.
A living, breathing creature, a mammal.
His world millions of cubic miles of water.
Some of it deep down beyond the light.
A creature large enough to be surreal.
To be mythical.
Moby Dick!
But you’re allowed to rupture his body.
Attack him while he enjoys his expansive universe.
Pierce his torso and organs with explosives.
Blow up his heart, brain, lungs, eyes, teeth.
He will give a few jerks and that’s it.
14
NO.
6
“If it’s sustainable, you hunt”, says Mr. Loftsson.
In today’s ocean environment I would argue that whale populations (and most other animal populations, save jellyfish) are decidedly NOT sustainable due to numerous human induced pressures such as ship strike, excessive noise, climate change, reduced prey abundance and habitat destruction.
However, humans will continue to find justifications for the genocides of entire species (elephants, rhinos, tigers, gorillas, american buffalo, great auk), so long as cold, hard cash is involved.
Most of the evil in this world is done in the name of commerce and religion, together they comprise the ethos of capitalism.
Conveniently, Genesis granted man dominion over the Earth to use as he sees fit.
I and many others do not see it this way. When I see a Fin whale, I see a wondrous being with dominion over its own existence.
When Mr. Loftsson sees a Fin Whale, he sees a powder he can sell to improve anemia and a source of oil.
Inconceivable.
99
@(not That) Dolly
I like your post, Dolly, but want to take issue with one element. I'm not Bible scholar, but it's my interpretation that "dominion" doesn't mean destruction or eradication. Rather, I think dominion means something more akin to "stewardship." I can't imagine any loving God (or god) of any faith tradition wanting humans to eradicate part of God's creation. Unfortunately, religion and universities and economics and politics have all been used to advance the world consumer culture that brings us to the place where we kill these beings for ridiculous things like lipstick, catfood, and gourmet, sent-halfway-around-the-world food. Thomas Berry nailed it in "The Great Work."
1
@(not That) Dolly . . . genesis, conveniently? well sure works everytime . . . nonsense . . . william wilson dallas texas dallas press club 1981
@(not That) Dolly Let's not forget sonar blasts used by the military and petroleum industries. Whales, dolphins, etc. have ultra sensitive hearing which may explain why beached dolphins are often found bleeding at the ears.
I chose this article because I feel very strongly about this subject. While reading this, I had a very good understanding of the whaling. In my opinion, I understand people have their own likings, but for people to be killing innocent creatures who are harmless and deserve just as much life as human is very upsetting. As many may know, there are specific species out there that are now going extinct, and at this rate...eventually all animals will be dead. Also, after reading some of the other comments, I did see some that I did agree with. One person mentioned how Kristjan Loftsson is not very opened minded. He has been doing this with is family since he was young. To be fair, It may only be all he knows. But nonetheless, does not make it right. The article also mentioned that Loftsson is the world's last commercial hunter of fin whales. With that being said, I feel like that should be a wake up call on how him and his crew are messing up the environment. Another thing I must mention is the whales feelings. I may not be a whale expert, but it is common sense that all animals have their own families as well family, friends, and feelings. When people like Kristjan start killing these animals it effects more that just the whale they killed. Whales have their pods, and when babies lose their moms or moms lose their babies it take an emotional toll on the whale causing depression and could result to death as well. I do not fully agree with this subject but I do find it interesting.
10
Why no discussion of mercury? I just watched a program about the whaling traditions of the Faroese. The biggest objection to whaling there, other than the usual activist activity on animal rights and species depletion, is that children have high levels of mercury in their blood which may lead to developmental problems. But, whaling is a tradition there, and the older population isn't going to stop. Some concern is growing, however, among the people with young children. I was left with the feeling that the old ways will die off as the younger people stop eating so much whale.
We've been eating animals since humans emerged. If it's sustainable harvesting, I pause to object. I personally believe whales have shown marked intelligence, so I will not eat whale meat. But, I'm reluctant to cast aspersions on the cultures of other people. If they want to poison themselves eating whale, that's up to them.
3
In typical fashion for anything controversial, the voice of experts is going to be crowded out by armchair experts that don't even bother checking Wikipedia before voicing their strong opinion. Nuclear power, whaling, cyber warfare, coal, mining, GMO, vaccine, oil pipe, etc... you name it and there will be English/liberal arts/social sciences major that think they know what they are talking about.
Frankly, if you don't know what "standard distribution" means, you shouldn't have an opinion on anything because chances are you don't have the skill set to interpret the numbers presented.
He has a permit to hunt for .006% of the population per year. That is completely reasonable and sustainable. Outrage over this is a nothing burger.
3
You cannot pick and choose one animal over the other while pointing fingers at one culture over another.
1
How come cows and chickens get no respect? Where's the outrage over killing these food staples? Sustainable harvesting of animals is simply that; a sustainable food source.
2
I wouldn't want to hunt whales for a living, but I enjoy pork, for example, and I don't think a nation of people who raise pigs--which are very intelligent animals--for slaughter has any grounds for criticizing Iceland for allowing limited commercial whaling.
4
People don't get it. Conservation is good. But the greater issue with whales is that their level of mental development is right near ours. Might as well justify hunting humans (looks like we do need a check on our population numbers).
Anyone who hunts whales is a monster.
13
I don't know if whales are as intelligent as we are but this is beside the point..they should not be hunted and killed. in fact it would be better if we stopped eating mammals, but then if they proliferated exponentially without natural predators they will eat everything in sight before their numbers crash.
6
@Alexander cutting back on beef world wide would reduce methane output.
2
One reason our species is an anthropogenic mass extinction event is because of brutal, selfish attitudes such as that of the whale-killer portrayed in this article.
I ask people who directly or indirectly are complicit in the animal killing industries how they'd like it if someone did to them what is done to animals.
They never have any rational or ethical answer to that question.
7
By this guys logic, why not harvest humans? We are definitely sustainable.
Welcome to the world of Soylent Green!
Whales and dolphins are definitely sentient, you need only look at the most recent example of Orca J35 in the endangered southern resident community of Orcas (i.e. Puget Sound) carrying her dead calf above water, threatening her own survival, for over 2 weeks while she and her pod mourned the death. This is not anthropomorphism, it is observable fact.
I do believe animals are sentient to a greater or lesser extent, but butchering ones that we know to have similar family and social structures to us is wrong, and there is no excuse short of pure survival.
18
Left a comment on the Facebook page of "Inspired by Iceland", the official tourism website for Iceland. This destination just went to the bottom of my travel wishlist.
9
Just because it is legal does not make it right. Slavery was legal at one point. Civilization moved past that tremendous stain (outliers remain, yes).
Killing whales for fun or profit is no better than doing so for elephants or primates who quite possibly have an intelligence that we are unable to grasp yet.
For those who don't care, whatever. Why do you even care to comment here? For those who do care, boycott Iceland and Norway tourism (and Japanese as well.) It is the $$$ these countries care about and may eventually respond to pressure on re tourism. I've always wanted to go to both of these countries. Many other places to go though...
9
This is the same company that recently killed a rare blue-fin whale hybrid. Hvalur maintains there is nothing illegal about the kill because the hybrid species is not protected. It argues that this kill falls within a "grey area" of the law. Even so, Hvalur's claim that its hunting operations are "sustainable," is disingenuous at best when it cares nothing about killing this rare species.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44809115
14
It is interesting to see the hypocrisy of meat-eating people accusing this guy of cruelty. Here in the US, many people eat meat with every meal, even though it is not necessary to do so. Cows and pigs are no different.
5
Are not the humans sustainable? Lots of us, and not as intelligent as whales. For example we are destroying the planet.
8
Any cruise ships that go to Iceland should receive a copy of this article, along with a request that they avoid the place until the killing ends.
Folks, especially children, shouldn't bear witness to the murder of the People who live in the Sea .
7
Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's ethically right. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is legal in Africa and is considered a cultural tradition. FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. Slavery in the United States was the legal institution of human chattel enslavement. And it took a civil war and then some to end. Commercial whaling is conducted despite an International Whaling Commission moratorium that took effect in 1986. But ethics aside, what could end this cruel practice is how toxic whale meat could be. The Animal Welfare Institute and the Environmental Investigation Agency uncovered Japanese government documents showing that meat imported by two Norwegian companies contained aldrin, dieldrin, and chlordane—all pesticides. Whale and dolphin meat is also often loaded with mercury. Activists are hoping that getting the word out about the contaminants found in whale meat will reduce demand and shrink the market. I hope so too.
4
There exists NO humane method for killing whales. These are highly intelligent social beings. They are not swimming commodities. I am disgusted at the human species that treats all life as a means of increasing wealth. I have been fighting the killing of whales and dolphins since the early 70s in high school and it is just as egregious and horrific now as it was then.
20
As long as it is true the whaling is done sustainably, and we remain good stewards of the whale population, I don't see anything wrong with allowing fishing.
It is true that while many species of whale populations such as blue whales are still endangered (even critically), other species—such as the fin whales mentioned in the article and also humpback whales—are no longer endangered and are actually somewhat thriving.
It's great that lovable animals like whales and polar bears capture the hearts of people and move them to conservation action and helping preserve the beautiful world we call home. However, there are many other species who aren't as lovable and are becoming endangered behind the scenes. Overfishing is a major drag on the ocean ecosystem and there are many types of fish which, unlike whales, are not being fished sustainably. Instead of worrying about fin whales which are being fished sustainably, it's important to redirect conservation efforts to where they're needed most.
In fact, the ban on whaling and the subsequent turnaround in many whale populations is a great success story which can give hope to the present situation for species of fish which currently seem doomed to extinction. Unlike whales, it's hard to imagine a complete ban on fishing, but there is still a lot that can be done.
Save the oceans! <3
5
Who exactly appointed us as stewards of anything?! That term, stewards, is too often used by those engaged in pillage and plunder - whether it be government agencies and bureaus acting as stewards of our tax money to engorge themselves, to corporations exploiting fossils and destroying the planet with emissions and toxins play-acting as stewards of "resources", to people engaged in mass slaughter of endangered and sentient beings for fun and profit or unnecessary food delicacies. Until and unless the human race shapes up its act and can show itself worthy of anything more than greedy exploit, then I say stop killing whales using instruments of mass industrial scale death. I honestly don't care if his family had done it for generations. Get a new skill. It's the 21st century, not 1885.
1
First whale I ever saw was a fin whale. It rocketed under the boat with stunning speed and vanished. An indelible lifelong memory created in the blink of an eye.
The other whales I've seen since then were wonderful, but they were mostly lolling around near the surface in slo-mo and not nearly as compelling as the haunting, elusive streak that crossed our bow.
6
Humans are also sustainable, and an invasive species so harmful other species are going extinct at a rapid rate.
15
I was in Iceland a year ago and I can say that tourism is booming there and will soon become their largest industry. They would be wise to end this hobby industry that undoubtedly will turn more money away than bring in from Japan.
13
I had no idea. Not going to Iceland.
20
@nowadays
Fine by moi. I'm not in favor of whaling per se, but the tourism industry is beyond saturated.
2
"If it's sustainable, you hunt". We're not talking about harvesting mushrooms here, this about subjecting extremely intelligent creatures - that experience pain as we do - to a horrible death. If you don't care about that, may I suggest you hunt one of the most sustainable, overabundant species on the planet, Homo sapiens. Apparently, you can get a very good price for their hearts, livers, kidneys, etc. I'm sorry, "sustainability" is not a sufficient argument.
23
We should not eat mammals.
7
I hope Trump doesnt read this article. He will start pushing that the US needs to start hunting whales again to boost the economy. Trump wants to get rid of the endanged species act all together.
8
As we say in Norway:
"Save the whales - for dinner"
3
@Jonas, stick to lutefisk.
1
Each nation has its own sacred "cows". But Indians do not denounce Americans for eating beef - they just prohibit it in their own country. And if you do not like killing whales, don't do it in America. But leave the Icelanders alone. And let the Chinese and Koreans eat dogs - in their own countries.
So if Americans turn vegetarian next (America was the leading whale hunting country not that long ago - remember Moby Dick), will that mean that the rest of the world will have to give up meat too?
6
@Ramesh Having the world give up meat sounds like a very good idea...for health & ethical reasons and for positively affecting climate change.
1
All these arguments about the hunting of fin whales miss main points: other than as “delicacy “ for a few countries, hunting whales should have gone extinct when whale oil and spermaceti were no longer viable commercial products. The fact that Iceland, Norway, and Japan still hunt whales, with some claiming “research “, shows how short sighted these nations and their populations are when it comes to whales and the sustainability of the whale populations. Look how hard it has been to bring back the right whale? And that is not looking too good at this moment, as no calves have been spotted this year in cape cod. Where is the argument for sustainability there? Maybe some of these animals will never come back to their previous numbers, but to still hunt for them because of idiosyncratic tastes and cultures shows the hypocrisy of this attitude. Leave them alone to rebuild there numbers, they are an integral species in the oceans, and we hunt them and degrade their oceans at our peril as well as theirs.
14
In this article, he says "There's nothing wrong with this" as he slaughters an animal thinking that there are no consequences.
This animal is depleting very fast and could soon become extinct, and here is this guy who just goes out and slaughters them as if he has nothing better to do. I am surprised that he did not get the memo about everybody in the world trying to stop killing these creatures and yet Kristjan is the last man on the entire planet doing this. To think that a man is just stringing up families of these majestic creatures on boats and separating them from others is not only shocking, but also shows how cruel some people can be.
There isn't much I can say on how truly disappointed I am with this man just slaughtering a species like that... it's just so sad to watch or even think that there is a man, killing these fin whales. When I first say this article name, I was somewhat intrigued on what this was about because whales are becoming endangered, but now I am speechless. It just seems unfair for this creature that has done nothing wrong to be killed for fun... so disappointing to hear about.
7
Humans are sustainable.
7
Interesting that so many comments compare and justify the commercialization of an endangered whale species to the many misdeeds of humans ongoing and historical of other countries and industries. This argument is specious at best. The idea that because more than 100 years ago Americans all but wiped the American Bison means that we should now look the other way when it comes to equally bad behavior is ludicrous. I suppose that also means that since we practiced genocide against the native tribes of the Americas, we should look the other way or perhaps condone those countries engaged in modern day genocide. Given our history of slavery, who are we to condemn modern day slavers?
The harvesting of whales is akin to the hunting of gorillas, elephants and dozens of other threatened and endangered species across the world. Humans are a blight on the planet. The next errant asteroid can't strike soon enough.
12
Fin whales are endangered, thus any harvesting of them - by definition - is not sustainable
12
Yes, a lovely tradition. I agree, if Icelanders are sustainable, we hunt,
7
"Fin Whales have been protected in the Southern Hemisphere and North Pacific since 1975, and catches ceased in the North Atlantic by 1990, except for small “aboriginal subsistence” catches off Greenland. Commercial catches resumed off Iceland in 2006, with nine fin whales being taken that year. A Japanese fleet resumed experimental catches of Fin Whales in the Antarctic in 2005, taking 10 whales each during 2005/06 and 2006/07, with plans to take 50 per year from the 2007/08 season (IWC 2006a). It seems unlikely that catching of fin whales will return to the high levels of previous years, not least due to the limited market demand for whale products.
Fin Whales are one of the more commonly recorded species of large whale reported in vessel collisions (Laist et al. 2001). Five fatal collisions were recorded off the US east coast during 2000-04 (Cole et al. 2006). Collisions with vessels appear to be a significant, but not necessarily unsustainable, source of mortality for the Mediterranean population (Panigada et al. 2006, Reeves and Notarbartolo di Sciara 2006)."
These numbers make a quota of 238 sound really high.
4
Cetaceans are demonstrably self aware. They have language, names, a culture that they share, and can cooperatively problem solve.
Nothing justifies the killing of self aware animals.
28
That would include most animals then.
2
Follow the money.
Place real penalties on Japan... and you will significantly reduce the demand for whale meat.
18
Hopefully Iceland joins the rest of the world in banning whaling. And hopefully somebody decides that hunting rich monsters also certainly isn't going cause their numbers to decline enough to be "endangered."
8
Boycott Iceland tourism! They’ll quickly change course.
27
My family and every single person I know WILL NEVER visit Iceland until this barbaric murder is stopped!
20
Whale tastes a lot like pork.
2
@Still Waiting for a NBA Title
So do people, according to a cannibal who was interviewed by an anthropologist. There are also more of us and we are easier to catch.
7
This is disgusting, and Iceland should be embarrassed. In a time when our natural world is being rapidly decimated by climate change, this type of industry and conduct is a spit in the face. These creatures are critical to their ecosystems and this is atrocious.
26
“If it’s sustainable, you hunt.”.."
Well, if that's the case, since Icelanders keep having babies e.g. birth is sustainable, why don't you start there. why kill whales that are far more difficult to sustain that humans.
Kristjan, I can't use the word I want, but you KNOW WHAT YOU ARE.
Boycott Icelandic EVERYTHING.
15
Chinese love their rhino horns and elephant tusks, Japanese their whale meat. Celebrate diversity, right?
4
“If it’s sustainable, you hunt”, says Mr. Loftsson.
Arm the whales and let the games begin, I say.
14
Just canceled our trip to Iceland for August. Money talks.
40
The fin whales population must be sustainable and cannot be brought to extinction. Also the animals must be dispatched in a manner that minimizes any suffering and when a second shot is necessary the animal is suffering; find a more effective way to swiftly and surely kill the animals. Otherwise a limited harvest is reasonable. Sea Shepards is a terrorist organization but don’t eat whale meat; it is high in bad cholesterols.
@iRail A harvest? Do you mean like harvesting asparagus?
5
I am quite saddened to hear that whaling at such a sale is still going on in Iceland, especially after hearing the positive words friends had to say of Iceland after going there in response to the country's recent and successful efforts to increase tourism.
7
As long as there are people willing to pay the price for other people to kill and process whales for consumption, whales will be killed. Examine your own food intake and imagine how any meat you eat was raised, killed and processed before you bought it all nicely wrapped up for you.
Vegans, you don't get off the hook (so to speak) so easily either. How were your vegetables raised, processed, packaged, transported and stored before you ate them. I'm thinking some petroleum products were used and an extra dose electricity.
People must eat. What we have to do is find the most sustainable and responsible way to do it. Unless everybody goes back to a time where people grew and hunted their own food, this is the world we live in. Root cellars anyone? RAW
1
THis is ridiculous. This has nothing to do with food and you know it.
6
@richard wiesner I/Vegetarians don't eat meat, and the meat industry, not the vegetable farms are the main cause for our climate problems. I mostly shop @ farmers markets, small grocery stores and Whole Foods where is is no packaging... If you care ...A little effort goes a long way.
Please stop this now. These animals are about as intelligent as we are (and seem to be more intelligent than some of us).
One way to put an end to this might be an effective boycott of products made in Iceland, and of Iceland as a tourist destination.
14
This pains me deep to see, on levels I feel guilty for not being present to save its life. Unrealistic? Okay, I won't ever set foot in that country and then I wish for an orca (way off the Pacific) to somehow, please, find him delicious.
4
"He also clearly relishes the life.
When he goes to the whaling station, he stays in a World War II-era hut left by Allied forces. It’s nice in the pouring rain, he said, hearing the drops pounding on the corrugated metal roof.
“I’m there a lot,” he said of the station, though he acknowledged that he doesn’t do much more than “see what’s going on, get fresh air in the lungs and that kind of thing.”
Karma happens.
6
@Mandeep
Karma... I wish...only in a perfect universe, but not ours.
Iceland will no longer be on my tourism radar. Back to Yellowstone for my geothermal vacay.
6
Comparing killing whales for meat versus the way people eat cows and pigs and chickens and so forth is an old dodge, comparing one (possible) moral wrong with another and using one to justify another. The fact that people in the US slaughtered native americans didn't mean they had no right to condemn the holocaust, the same way modern Germans can act against genocide in Africa or what was Yugoslavia despite their past.
There is no argument about the horrible treatment of animals in the commercial meat industry, there is no excuse for it except the brutality of the people who raise the animals and the poiticians who allow it, who justify it, subsidize it and so forth. That said there is a big difference between commercially raising meat and the killing of whales, besides the fact whales are threatened, it doesn't make sense to hunt a higher order intelligent animal simply for the right to hunt it,the demand is artificial, and whales probably generate more revenue from whale watching and other tourist focused industries then whaling does. Yes, it is a value judgement, placing whales above let's say a cow or a pig, but we do that in the west with dogs, with cats, and in the sea with dolphins and porpoises and killer whales,too. The point to me is why hunt something there is little demand for, especially when it is a creature that is closer to us than almost any other animal. On land few groups of people routinely hunt primates, for much the same reason.
14
The US is plundering our own wildlife with the Endangered Species Act being cast aside for the almighty dollar. This is not sustainable either.
17
I hear Iceland is beautiful and geographically interesting. Too bad; none of my travel dollars will be spent there (nor Norway).
And to those who say the USA has no moral ground to criticize animal exploitation, I say 'you got that right'.
13
So how is this packaged for human or pet consumption? Who or what consumes whale meat or fat?
Why do humans think we're so important and that we can do whatever we want with this planet? It's disgusting. The other species on this planet have rights, too. We need to recognize this before we destroy the ecosystem that sustains all life known to us. If Iceland doesn't want to respect the moratorium on whaling then sanction them, the same as we sanction Russia and Iran. Make it hurt. We don't have a right to make a living anyway we want.
26
should be illegal - end of story
26
“Sure, you can do anything, but why should you stop doing this?” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with this.” Okay. Whatever you say.
Hunting a seriously depleted species who are, by some estimates, as intelligent in their way as we are, is disgusting as well as stupid. If they are smart enough to recognize themselves in a mirror (as some studies say they can), then surely they can also feel the horror of being hunted and watching their dead friends and family being strung up on a boat and dragged away. I am not some bleeding heart PETA member or vegetarian, either - we just don't need this kind of meat to feed ourselves even by the largest stretch of the imagination.
This man is so small minded that he can think of nothing else to do with his time. In all the world, with all his money, and ... nothing?
My suggestion is that he go stand in that old hut on the edge of the world and get the full message about why he's drawn there. Kill nothing and just sit still. People have been doing that for centuries and some of the world's most enlightened thinkers have come out of that. You never know.
174
@Adrienne
Except they aren't depleted. I repeat, they aren't endangered.
Your feelings got the best of you - whales aren't any smarter or more humanlike than cows although Hollywood wants to believe something else.
1
@Adrienne I share your feelings about the strange person featured in this article, a man who funds the killing of these majestic creatures with explosive-tipped harpoons (!) and can't see anything wrong with his life choices. I also agree with you (who could disagree!) when you point out that "we don't need this kind of meat to feed ourselves by the largest stretch of the imagination." The thing is, though, we -- people living in developed countries with access to grocery stores -- don't need to eat *any* kind of meat (or any kind of eggs or dairy, for that matter) to feed ourselves and be healthy. The American Dietetic Association has clearly stated that vegan/vegetarian diets are "healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases." So, while I 100% share your feelings about the acts of violence described in this article, I'd just encourage you to explore why you're apparently okay with certain kinds of violence against animals, but *so* not okay with this kind. (Certainly these whales suffer for only a *tiny* fraction of time that the animals we eat do.) I'm not trying to be antagonistic here -- just couldn't help but point this out. Upon reflection you might find that you actually have much in common with those "bleeding heart" PETA types you mentioned, who just think that since *none* of this violence upon animals is necessary, we shouldn't be doing *any* of it. :-)
1
@Adrienne There's nothing wrong with being a PETA member and there's everything right with being a vegetarian and vegan. I agree with everything you write and furthermore will add that all life is sacred. Period.
2
This is an all or nothing issue, and most people are hypocrites. You can't pick and choose which animals to be outraged about when they're processed or hunted. Be a vegan, be pro-life, anti-capital punishment, and make like a Sikh and wear a mask lest you inhale a gnat - otherwise, somehow, you betray yourself. Or, eat your burgers wear your leather and yawn at the whole thing.
47
The issue at hand is not whether humans are hypocrites. However, if we apply the same type of reasoning found in your comment, we'd still be living in the state of nature, or worse, whereby humans --who are also animals, could hunt, process, and eat one another.
1
@Ed Sikhs don't wear masks. Those are Jains.
1
@Ed, It's Jains that wear masks, to avoid killing bugs. Sikhs wear turbans.
1
This is so sad … I have shed so many tears for whales on this planet. I continue to hold a vision of a healthy earth where whales are honored and respected along with the environment and all sentient beings. I am grateful for the reporting.
15
That mother orca is still pushing around her dead baby--10 days now.
How anyone can hunt and kill these magnificant, sentient creatures is beyond me.
64
@Talbot
Actually, I think we're at the 18th day. There's a demonstration there for humans to see.
1
@Talbot - "How anyone can hunt and kill these magnificant, sentient creatures is beyond me."
Ask Orcas. They hunt and kill these magnificent, sentient creatures all of the time.
3
Why are wealthy Asians determined to eat the remains of our earths endangered? When there are pharmaceuticals for less than one hundred dollars, that work, why pay thousands for a Rhinoceros horn, that does nothing! Black Bear parts, whale meat. Be the one guy to have killed off and devoured the last of a living thing. This is no different than the poachers that feed the far east some of the last living species on our planet. I don't understand the logic or the appeal. Greed feeding ignorance.
29
The comments about America’s animal abuses do not forgive Iceland. All animal abuse must end. Your “you do it too” argument is disingenuous at best.
45
@PaulieCan you NOT SEE the difference between this and raising more of a species for consumption?
4
The degree to which we've anthropomorphized whales (especially among us urban city dwellers who don't earn a living from the ocean's resources) and other "majestic" creatures is absurd.
I agree 100% with Loftsson's assertion that if "it's sustainable, you hunt." That's an admirably pragmatic statement and it shows that Loftsson is aware of the significance of his actions and the finite number of whales out there.
Of course there's killing involved and I personally wouldn't want to take part in it (the same goes with the slaughtering of pigs, cows, and chickens, etc.) and it is undeniably a grotesque process but it's unavoidable and people should be able to, within limits, earn a livelihood how they want.
57
@LR It is definitely not unavoidable. There is no justification whatsoever for the killing of these creatures. Every single word you used in your comment shows exactly how limited your insight and vision are: pragmatic would be to stop killing them so that their populations can grow, for example.
6
@LR It may be sustainable if he is the only one hunting the whales. What makes him so special?
LR--Maybe, you don't understand. Whales are no longer a legitimate "resource." They aren't cows. More like Dodos. Soon, gone. SOON, gone.
2
Readers, when you hear yourself saying "other people do way worse stuff" as a defense for disagreeable behavior, know that you are taking a selfish and immature stance. This whaler's suggestion that folks on whale-watching cruises look the other way as he hauls his carcasses is disingenuous and betrays his contempt for sensitivity. He should be sneaking around in the dark of night.
15
As an Icelander I have to add this. In the past one whale would allow an entire town to survive a winter. That was then. Cut the Japanese exports and see how many whales are hunted for domestic use. I doubt very many.
178
@Boga When planning my visit to Iceland this year, I noted that the Lonely Planet guide said that 40 to 60% of the whale meat served in restaurants in Iceland is eaten by tourists. I decided my curiosity wasn't enough justification to support whale hunting. Instead, I enjoyed the lamb stew and the plokkfiskur. I indeed thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Iceland--such a beautiful place, both the natural wonders and the city of Reykjavík.
1
I guess I missed the point. Who is Mr. Loftsson selling his whale products to? The best way to shut down a business is to boycott it's products, but there was no mention in this article who is actually buying the whale meat or by products.
3
@VMG
Japan
1
It's NOT sustainable!!!!
7
Whale hunting by humans is not sustainable if everyone looked at a hunt as selfishly as this one man has.
Kristjan is privileged. Kneel before the whale killing king.
7
Rationally, it's hard to justify criticism of a man who hunts whales any more than the men and women who hunt other fish, or lobsters. Or, for that matter, is it rational to recoil at the sight of a slaughtered whale but shrug off the sight of a slaughtered pig or a cow hoisted on a conveyor belt?
But there is something horrifying about this photo, even if it's irrational.
Iceland is a wonderful country and very sensitive to the tourist trade. You want to change their whaling? Go after their tourists.
But, sometime, visit the place. It's magical.
5
The life of a whale has equal value to the life of a human being and worthy of as much dignity?
238 Fin whales in one year is much less than the number of people cruelly murdered per month in the USA.
Let's keep focused.
5
@iain
Here's a little tale to think about when you talk about killing things. It is NOT JUST a whale. Think of time and effort to bring that creature to life. When cats kill birds, people say Oh, it's just a bird but it may take "nature" 3 years to create what that cat kills in seconds. First 2 birds need to be born and SURVIVE. (ps only about 1 in 4 do). then they need to find each other and mate so already we have at least 1 year depending on the species. Then they nest and lay eggs and hatch those eggs and raise those chicks (again, survival is almost nil) and then those chicks need to mature into adults--maybe another year and start the process over again. so perhaps 2 1/2 to 3 years FOR 1 BABY BIRD killed in seconds. Elephants need 3 years and some jerk ends it all with a shot in seconds.
THINK ABOUT THIS A BIT.
@iain Mackenzie Where is it written that ANY life is more special than ANY other? Why are humans more important than other species? Let's not be so narcissistic.
3
Yes, absolutely.
The life of a whale has equal value to a human life and is worthy of as much dignity.
How’s that for focus?
1
Japan bans whaling but allows the importation of whale meat? What's the Japanese word for hypocrite? At least the Chinese nominally ban the importation of elephant tusks and tiger bones to satisfy their rich's taste for such "delicacies."
4
@Alan Mass
yes, but the Japanese have their "whale study" every yeras where they KILL 250 or MORE WHALES 'for scientific purposes".
The term for cows is MOUNTAIN WHALE so "whale" is a big part of Japanese food culture---science, not so much.
1
Whaling --along with everything else humanity does to the oceans-- is horrible, sustainable or no.
Nevertheless, have you ever tasted whale? Deeeee-lish.
3
I don't see a problem. Hunting wild animals in a sustainable way is much more environment-friendly and infinitely more humane than raising animals in filthy and abusive conditions and then slaughtering them by the millions. In fact, we should make it illegal to farm animals for the purpose of slaughtering for meat. And force people to kill and dress animals themselves if they want to eat meat.
As for the speciests peddling their delusional values of beauty or intelligence, I'm comforted that they are not meat eating hypocrites at least. They can't be -- they are NYT readers.
8
@TK Sung . . .well said . . . william wilson dallas texas dallas press club 1981
Some people believe it is acceptable for humans to eat the flesh of dogs, monkeys, horses, lions.
Personally, I can't wrap my head around that.
I find the very idea of eating dolphin or whale as objectionable as the idea of eating a dog.
It's a form of excess. You really have to go to extreme lengths of the imagination to envision a situation where a modern human "just had to eat a dog to survive." Or a whale.
Over the past year, I have been eating less and less meat & seafood. That's counterintuitive for someone whose formative years were spent in Argentina. But I feel great; it has contributed to significant weight loss. I don't miss the meat/fish at all.
Whales sing. Pollution by humans has harmed their habitat. It's not as if their life is so perfect that "a little bit of pain" won't matter much.
It seems like such a contrived thing to do, to insist on hunting down & slaughtering this huge, complex mammal. It's a mindless form of megalomania: "Look, Whale, I may be tiny but I am stronger than you."
Why not just let them be?
123
@Maria Ashot If you find the idea of eating dogs and whales objectionable, don't eat them. Just don't impose that value on other countries.
3
@Maria Ashot Well said. Thank you
@Maria Ashot: Your opinion is clearly racist, believing that only your cultural norm is acceptable in a new world order.
Just because you cannot wrap your head around a thing does not make that thing criminal or without value.
I don't use or understand the need for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or marijuana. However there are plenty of folks who seem to need all that to survive. As long as they do not force me to use those things, they can do as they like.
These whales have better lives than the cow that becomes your hamburger or the farm raised catfish that becomes your fried fish sandwich. If the whales are being harvested in a sustainable manner, which it appears they are, then I don't see a problem with this. Unless you are a vegan you should withhold judgement, because the animals that become your food are treated much worse than these whales.
8
I also make no apologies is not spending my tourism dollars in Iceland or Norway.
10
All this talk of sweet, forbidden whale steak is making me hungry. And yes, I want fries with that.
4
Sport hunting. That's all. Sounds like a cheap thrill for him. The world doesn't need the next level, whale-derived iron powder.
11
@Ella Isobel I disagree, even if you are correct these "sport hunters" certainly have more skin in the game than most of us ever will.
1
this is tragic and horrifying, but so is all of the meat industry. What about the thousands, millions of cattle that are killed in the US every day?
6
Boycott visiting the nations that still allows the mass slaughter of whales. This includes not only Iceland but Norway and Japan.
Small, indiginous tribal populations worldwide may take a few whales annually for sustainability, they should not be included. But the larger, modern, commercial whaling fleets should.
13
This is just a shame and completely unnecessary....thank you Japan and China..
4
We have "Service Dogs" - You see them in every grocery store, restaurant, library and movie theater ... We should have "Service Whales" then people will think twice before hunting them.
As a meat hunter in Wisconsin, I have seen CWD in areas with high deer numbers and "baiting", and low numbers during prolonged winters when the spring green up didn't arrive in time for last years fawns. Many of us did our best to hunt based on carrying capacity of the areas we hunted based on DNR reports. The problem is that Scott Walker turned the top levels of the DNR into a political caucus. Iceland's "DNR" may well be politicized. I honestly don't know. But 40,000 animals in a large part of the ocean is not a great number. It is the methodology of counting that becomes politicized. International monitoring need to happen.
6
@Gunmudder Only 2,700 in the North Atlantic according to NOAA
If it's legal and sustainable, I see no problem with it. If you have a problem with this man's hunting, take it up with the government who is allowing it - please don't hurt people or property.
There are so many things we are doing in the United States that are way worse, I think the attention to this issue is disproportionate.
6
We are bombarded every day with all the many other things that are "way worse" in the United States. I'm not sure how one article on whaling in Iceland in the NYT is disproportionate. I guess you think only the issues that continue to be "way worse" than the next should be reported on?
1
"To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering. A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." Aldo Leopold
1
To kill an animal like that is a sin. Mankind has no boundaries. Just because you can do it doesn´t mean you should.
47
Uh, well ... the human population is certainly "sustainable". Do I have a licence to "hunt"?
Fascinating photo of the rendering plant. Looks just like a modern urban vitrified office tower, laid on its side.
A contemplation of the esthetic that results when efficiency in the pursuit of profit is allowed to shape infrastructure.
12
I would reserve judgment until you have tried a tasty fin whale soup and some candied blubber.
2
@Pilot So ethical concerns are trumped by sensory pleasures?
8
@Pilot
If your ethical judgement hinges on gustatory satisfaction, then your judgement is worthless.
15
@Pilot What would you do if a human baby tasted delicious?
4
Whale oil used to be the world's only commercial source of oil and was responsible for hundreds of thousands of jobs. To date, it is the only commercially viable renewable source of oil that occurs naturally.
1
@Anthill Atoms
Oil is so 20'th century.
We have much better sources of sustainable and renewable energy.
Solar?
Wind?
GeoThermal?
Nuclear?
Tide?
Hydro?
Come on People. This is a sin and everyone knows it.
9
@Anthill Atoms When used for lighting, in the old days, whale oil gave off an offensive stench. It was readily abandoned for 'much more pleasant' kerosene.
Undeniably, it created jobs. So does war. So do epidemics of the plague, and wildfires, and hurricanes.
Olive oil, sunflower seed oil, duck fat and lard also occur naturally. They are also commercially viable. So are many other types of naturally occurring oil, including, as another example, bear grease.
A complex and in some cases dangerous process is required to render the oils from birds, fish or mammals. There is less risk in extracting vegetable oils; these are also healthier. So whale oil cannot be the "only... renewable source of oil that occurs naturally." You have to fight the animal for its flesh!
Moreover, whale flesh contains hormones, parasites and now, certainly, chemicals from pollution. Why it would seem more "natural" to go through so much gruesome, malodorous effort to "harvest whale oil" is beyond me.
It seems a bit like insisting on using traditional barter methods instead of modern monetary instruments, claiming that "older methods are more natural."
2
It’s not renewable if we kill to extinction.
Certainly this will be an unpopular opinion, but I have no problem with this. If there are truly 40,000 of these whales, and he has a license to hunt only ~200 of them (which doesn't even mean he gets all 200), then I don't see anything substantially wrong. It's legal in his country, and there's a market for his product.
If the Japanese didn't still eat whale, then he would probably stop. That's the only real problem here.
At least he's doing it for meat and resources. In Alaska, it's legal to shoot wolves from helicopters just because.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/trump-alaska-refuge-hunting-predato...
80
@Robert
"market for this product".... A whale is NOT a product but a wonderful ancient sentient and sapient being.
There are billions of humans, by your estimate killing millions of them would be no problem.
@Robert The number estimated is just a guess. Anyone who uses such estimates as an excuse for killing these sentient creatures is foolish.
How dreadful.
Said the man in a the lighted, air conditioned room, typing on his computer, who drove this morning.
Hard to pass judgment when I know I am part of the billions who are harming the environment at large in far more horrific ways.
17
@htg No, actually it's easy to pass judgment in this case.
4
@htg
Yes we all are harming other sentient beings as well as the environment by merely living on the earth. However, what's important is the intention. Most of us probably don't go out of our way to do harm.
1
Even if we can trust that this individual is acting legally, poaching is a worldwide plague in every sector. So I am skeptical that these animals won't be plundered to extinction.
7
Greed is the root of evil.
8
The thing is that this NOT sustainable nor necessary. Japanese consumers neither need the meat - there are many other sources for protein.
It's sensless to kill animals in today's age. One man's gain, everyone else's loss.
34
Mother nature must have done an awful job keeping all beings in check before humans decided what's sustainable and what's not. Humans, the great justice makers!
7
As harpoons go through your body, you are dragged onto a slaughter ship run by other creatures. Your last sight is of your newborn, who, after seeing such a horrific act of murderous violence, is doomed to slowly starve while trapped in a grief that consumes its mind and body.
Some whales carry their dead.
42
@Getreal
She's still carrying her dead baby after 17 days. It has been three years since her pod had a birth so it was an important baby. She's telling the world. I read that her son is bringing her food.
Your is the best comment of all.
7
"Today, Iceland and Norway are the only countries that allow commercial whaling…, and aboriginal subsistence hunting takes place in a handful of countries that includes the United States, Canada, Russia and Greenland."
While I do not consume whale myself, I do support the rights of my country’s over a millennia long tradition of sustainable whaling. That said I would not argue for or support nontraditional whale hunting, such as whales found in the southern seas, like Blue Whales, White Whale, etc.
The method of using an exploding tipped harpoon may seem barbaric, but please consider that traditional harpoons, like the what aboriginal populations of United States and Canada use, introduce a lot more suffering, as it takes a long time to kill the whale, due to a traditional harpoon never being instantly fatal, unlike what an exploding harpoon can be. Would game hunting suddenly become more moral if you used a primitive bow and arrow instead of a rifle?
I take issue with arguments against whaling based on the whales being intelligent beings, since we do not have any scientific basis for properly communicating with and understanding them yet, we cannot say for sure. If you are to argue against whaling based on the merits of a “whale’s intelligence”, then please do so from the principled stand point of being a vegan. If you cannot do that, then you should take some time to consider your own consumption of animals, before you denigrate other people's consumption of animals.
5
@Himmelganger This is a weak argument, reminiscent of the ones put forth by those who deny that 'lesser' animals feel pain or experience pleasure or grief. It's certainly a convenient one, because it rationalizes/justifies exploitation and murder. There is ample evidence to document the intelligence of whales, and in any case if we pay attention we can recognize in them social sentient beings like ourselves. And I have been a vegetarian for 40 years.
9
You are incorrect regarding cetacean communication. Here's just one example:. https://www.google.com/amp/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSSP25860120...
(And I do not eat animals)
4
@HimmelgangerWhale hunting was originally a crucial source of food for our ancient ancestors. It is no longer a matter of life or death for humans. Even if we assume that whales are not so intelligent, there is no moral justification for killing them for profit. They aren't a threat to us. We should leave them alone to live out their lives in peace.
9
Iron supplement from freeze dried endangered highly intelligent sentient beings? What, no better alternatives for iron supplements that don't require killing? May as well kill elephants for calcium supplements from their bones too.
The lack of respect and humility towards other living creatures by mankind is atrocious. Perhaps Mr. Loftsson will meet his end as a bony meal for an Orca - as a toxic supplement to the killer whale's diet.
Just as the Chinese bear responsibility for the slaughter of elephants for ivory, the Japanese bear responsibility for the slaughter of whales globally for the science of profitology.
I am still hopeful of better from Iceland - and the Faroe Islands too, by the way.
38
Here is this magnificent endangered creature it takes up to 30 years to reach full physical maturity with a lifespan of 85-90 years brought down by the greed and appetite of man with one or two explosive tipped harpoons, boom, destroyed, what took nature decades to nurture. The cruelty and insanity of it!!! We are the worst. I am often deeply ashamed to belong to the human species.
88
My core value: life with dignity.
This is not it.
6
If its sustainable then hunt. That seems fair to me as long as a third party is determining whether its sustainable and the catch is all tagged and processed in the legal market. If those conditions are met, then I'm fine with it.
10
@Jacqueline Humans are sustainable. Do we hunt them?
5
Jacqueline,
So since humans are sustainable, can I hunt them if I also eat what I kill?
3
He will kill more than whales. Tourism and the money made from it will die as well in Iceland.
15
No more whaling period- Loftsson should be sent to jail for crimes against precious life forms.
12
Calls for a tourism boycott of this wonderful nation are misguided. Attacking Kristjan Loftsson is also misguided. He is doing what his family and that nation have done for centuries, and he is operating within the laws and limitations of his country. The resolution of this issue should be negotiated with the government of Iceland, not through personal attacks on the Loftsson.
Of course, there are far, far worse environmental issues being perpetrated by myriad American corporations and industries with the aid of American politicians. Far worse.
94
@Reader X
People have for generations and for centuries beaten their wives and engaged in the sexual abuse of children . In some cases and at times it was considered legal. Does that make it right?
17
@Reader X
To say this is a cultural need in the modern era is to weigh the destruction of an intelligent species against an unnecessary human ritual that does not contribute to the survival of Icelanders. It's also disingenuous to call this action "sustainable" which is to assume a planet of 7+ billion people can continue to plumb these resources without end. Because of the whaling issue I avoid Iceland which I used to visit at least once a year, and I no longer fly Iceland air for any reason. It is irresponsible to put pressure on any species that is already under threat, endangered or not, and while I can't stop them neither can I support that in good conscience.
11
Why visit and spend money in a place supporting whale killing?
6
It pains me to hear of people hunting such intelligent, beautiful animals. But how can we stop what we consider unacceptable hunting of these animals off of Iceland when we cannot control the massive destruction being waged in our own home?
We can't expect other people to change for the better if we set such a bad example ourselves. Mr Loftsson is threatening hundreds of whales, why the US's current policies are threatening all life across the planet.
10
OK, all - simple solution, maybe? Until whaling stops in these countries, stop visiting Iceland and Norway and Japan. Vacation somewhere else - Stop buying any of their exports or products.
11
And then, consequently, the foreigners among the readers, should be advised to stop visiting the US, because of its growing disrespect for environmental issues in other aspects.
6
Tough to fault a guy who is at least hunting for a living rather than penning up and force feeding the animals who provide us with the pleasure of their flesh.
There is however a consideration of the physical and possible mental pain we bring to the animals we eat.
I do not exclude myself
We may have come a long way, but I suspect we still have a way to go in our effort to live in harmony with the universe
6
As a preface - I am not condoning whaling and I think the way that it is done as described in this article is unnecessarily painful. The article didn't really leave me with a good feeling at the end... especially his words at the end. He has more than enough to settle down and be satisfied.
The comment sections become so emotional when it comes to hunting wild animals that have a good reputation and optics. It's the same with clubbing seals. The seals are adorable, but hunting and consuming them is how people survived in the past. Arguably you can say that whaling isn't as necessary as seals are for the indigenous population. And of course tourists are disgusted by it when they see it. You can't really hide when you're killing a whale. We can though, hide our horrid treatment of animals like chickens, pigs, cows, etc. and their living conditions. Those animals just happen to be shipped in nice packages or beautifully plated when we see them. I'm not American, but culturally Canada is somewhat similar and in general we overeat and glorify meat as it is. That's a good place to start.
5
@K I became a vegetarian because of the cruelty to domestic animals. I have gotten so used to it I cannot imagine becoming carnivorous again. I feel much healthier and I enjoy a huge variety of fruits and vegetables which are delightful. We don't need to eat animals to be healthy and well fed.
The killing of animals is an emotional issue. There is the killing for eating and killing for sport. I think very few of us can cast a stone if we have eaten flesh. I do know the ethical dilemma over eating an intelligent species like octopus. So delicious yet one of the smartest animals on the planet. Yet so many animals are hunted and killed with no food or cultural benefit especially in this country. I will go to Iceland one day to visit a friend there and maybe I will eat what she considers her favorite delicacy Puffin but maybe not..
1
It is very simple- there is no justification for the slaughter of whales.
35
People like Mr. Loftsson will not change because of societal pressure, only laws will stop them. Iceland and Norway must cease to allow whaling, it is reprehensible. Tourists and businesses should boycott these two countries until they outlaw whaling. Iceland and Norway are on my list to visit but now I will not go to these countries until they change their laws about whaling.
10
I wish respondents would give the argument of American hypocrisy a rest. It’s a given. To argue hypocrisy gives the violator described in the story a free pass. It also creates the argument that certain stories shouldn’t be covered because who are we to talk.
22
Let's start cleaning the planet from the biggest and the most obvious vermin, man. Maybe we should start hunting them down like we do to herds. For the planet to heal, the presence of humans has to be brought down to a minimum level.
I am losing my patience, empathy and carrying for humans. Quite frankly I don't care what happens to them anymore. Humans have treated other humans in vicious and violent ways. I really don't see what's so special about them. Why is it a surprise that they treat all life forms with such brutality? Nothing new under the sun.
28
@JG what do you propose?
2
@JG I often find it difficult to have any respect for my own species.
4
@jibaro
Birth control.
I'm assuming Mr. Loftsson's father didn't die from a harpoon fired into his heart. Couldn't happen to someone heartless, consumed by cruelty and greed and the "great" overused excuse of "tradition."
10
Focus on his government which allows this. Trying to change a guy like this is futile.
21
Many species of whale including dolphins are not endangered. Nations and people who traditionally hunt for whales and dolphins for centuries should be allowed to continue their tradition that doesn't hurt anybody nor ecosystem. Hypocrites who protest against it should protest all animal hunting and killings.
2
@Asian man Just because man has the capacity to kill animals doesn't me we should
7
@Asian man, I totally agree, which is why I protest all animal hunting and killings.
8
@Asian man The entire earth is experiencing a change in climate that threatens and endangers all creatures. So these previous "centuries" you base your contention that such hunting continue unchallenged, are not pertinent.
3
I just did an online search for restaurants serving whale. I came across an ad from a Japanese restaurant that specializes in whale. Be certain to notice that they source their meat from "research studies" in Antarctica rather than Iceland. Does this make it politically correct?
"We use the whole minke whale that was captured in the Antarctic ocean for research whaling. Our master chef, who is an expert of whale dishes, will prepare from head to tail. If you're a whale meat lover, you can reconfirm how delicious whales are, and if you're a beginner, you will be surprised how delicious and light they are."
2
That quote just made me sick to my stomach.
3
@Mellifluos @jibaro Mellifluos doesn't need to propose anything. Did you read the NYT Magazine feature on climate change from last weekend? If not, would highly recommend it, certainly opened my eyes. Apparently we all squandered the last, best opportunity to do something truly effective on climate change in the 1980s. Now, 1.5-2 degrees warming is a foregone conclusion, and will mean forced migration of millions, which will mean conflict and loss of lives - through a combo of conflict/war, and hunger, illness, disease, etc. Beyond that though, 3-5 degrees warming is fully plausible and will mean severe consequences for the viability of human civilization itself in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. Earth will force a reckoning - and GOOD ON IT to do so, humanity needs to taught a severe lesson. But hey, maybe you and I will not be around to suffer (let's HOPE not?) -- but too bad for the new generations (as if tRump anda all of his ilk care, for that matter). Having said that, let's SEE yet, however, if enlightened minds can prevail with technology and compassion -- maybe at least the deserving, caring kinds the world over can win out, and progress humanity to a level where it lives in harmony with its surroundings.
3
This article should gain large circulation. People should know killing of whales ls allowed in Iceland for the sole purpose of selling whale meat to the Japanese. Iceland should be boycotted until the killing stops. Tourism has become very profitable in Iceland. They would soon feel a boycott.
23
Oh, NYT. The United States has the bigest carbon footprint per capita. And you want to teach other countries about nature and environment?
12
@Renate
According to the latest data from the World Bank, that is not true - we rank 13th in per-capita CO2 emissions. Furthermore, whataboutism is unhelpful at best, and in most cases a malicious attempt to stymie productive discussion and cloud the issues.
15
Fin whales murder small fish, squid and crustaceans. Where are THEIR advocates?
10
@Ed L. Are you an advocate for small fish, squid and crustaceans? The animal kingdom kill to eat. Its nature's balance. It isn't murder. Humans murder.
8
@Connie
I recommended your comment because you missed the satire so impressively.
@Ed L. your "satire" definitely missed the mark.
"the whale watching crowd"
Very good.
Next thing you know the NYT will refer to environmentalists as tree huggers.
Now I'm going to read the NY Post. As we used to say: same-same.
1
It may be sustainable to hunt all sorts of creatures, including elephants, dogs, lions, whales and even people. But, it is wrong and being sustainable is never a justification.
13
There is irony that these fervent anti-whaling posts are done by many who will at some point today drink a cup of Starbucks coffee. A brand named after the first mate on a fictional whaling vessel. The layers of history in our country contain a multitude of sins. I do not agree with allowing whaling to continue, but I don’t hear anyone offering reparations for the damage done by the US whaling fleet just over a century ago.
5
@Ben P Feel free to pay for something done as you say over one hundred years ago and in which you took no part. PC knows no bounds.
@Ben P
So right, drinking Starbucks while protesting Whaling - clearest example of hypocrisy ever.
@Ben P
A brand named after the first mate on a fictional whaling vessel.
Which means absolutely nothing
2
The problem with the rest of the world condemning this is that Iceland has one of the smallest carbon footprints in the world due to its use of underground hot springs for heating and energy generation. The rest of our countries are killing off species right and left and will probably end up even killing off our own.
I don't see those environmental activists who sabotaged the boats flooding coal mines or impeding the manufacture of more automobiles.
24
@Steve
A carbon footprint is not the same issue as ocean sea life species.
2
whaling; sustainable for certain species. as humans we do not generally respect such a high bar. The list is long for the number of species extinct by the hand of humans. Humans sit at the top of the food chain, however in nature unprotected we are just another item on the menu. To sustain life in in this paradigm something's must dye for something else to live. Dying needlessly because of political failure starvation or war, living unsustainably and and jeopardizing all life on Earth, seems like something we should be worrying about, not a sustainable harvest in the food-chain. i have been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for twenty seven years, all Flora and Fauna is sacred
6
i wish i had known this, before we visited iceland. would probably have bypassed this otherwise gorgeous island.....
15
@sa7tobbe Yes, would have been better. One less person to flight unnessessarily.
1
This article ends with the quote: “There’s nothing wrong with this.” In fact, we know so much now about cetaceans, that they have a language, a culture....to simply dismiss them as resources is ethically inappropriate. When science supports an ethical decision, it's imperative that we listen.
69
"It’s unclear whether the whaling operation is profitable."
"He declined to cite numbers."
Mr. Loftsson is trolling more than whales.
And, he knows it.
34
Why would the Times allow a puff piece on this fundamentally evil operation? And lend credence to its deplorable philosophy? There is a difference between doing something because you can and be doing something because you need to. And that is all the difference in the world.
84
@Rob
Why?
Because that's what real journalism does.
4
@Rob Fundamentally evil? Deplorable philosophy? Please explain. All I hear are some fancy buzzwords being used to describe a sustainable hunting practice.
How does this differ from commercial fishing of any other species? Assuming in all cases that the fishing is done in a way that doesn't negatively impact those populations in the long term, then is the same evil and philosophy still hold?
1
@Rob Thank you! Agreed
There is a place in hell for men like him. He kills whales and could care less if they become extinct and Trump and the GOP are killing us by continuing to use coal and fossil fuels. Business men need to be regulated because there will be so much damage they can do by wiping out our food chains. We won't even know it happened. More government is needed not less. We need more people to stop this out of control animal killing.
31
@D.j.j.k. Do you drive a car, heat your home, or use air conditioning? The US EIA says 87% of Delaware electricity is generated by natural gas, a fossil fuel. Do you not get your food from the US food chain? Do you condemn yourself as roundly as you condemn others?
https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=DE
1
Stop whale killling You are despised for it.
52
@DF
He seems fine with the fact that some meat-eating, hypocritical American liberals are meeting their daily quota of self-righteous indignation.
9
Time to retire Mr Loftsson and open a book like say "Moby Dick", instead of slaughtering the last whales that are left in the Ocean.
27
"Sustainable"? --- for whom and in what context? It could well be economically sustainable for Hvalur, but not, in the long term, for the species. The obvious problem with this stupidity is that it — characteristically — places profit above the public interest, in this case, the support for an ocean ecology that serves the entire planet, not simple Mr. Loftsson et al.
10
Humans are sustainable. Why not hunt them?
107
@William Verick To you and everyone else who have used these same words: This is a lazy argument and you know it. Humans are (usually) not hunted by humans for food to survive. I'm sure people can think of something better than a catchy sound bite.
@William Verick
Can you imagine being hunted down with explosive-tipped harpoons? Jeez!
5
@William Verick
You mean it's not obvious?
Humans aren't hunted / consumed because of a drastically LOW body mass. Once gutted and cooked, there's really not much left compared to, say, a boar, or a deer. The other main reason is because it takes 9 months to produce a new one, and that new one is pretty much helpless for give or take ten years. So, it makes no sense to hunt your enemies for food. They'd be hunting you as well, and when you lose the battle, there goes YOUR tribe.
2
Enjoy the down escalator when you leave this life, Mr Loftsson.
19
We're a bunch of hypocrites in this country. We scream when folks are doing something to 'endangered' animals - even though as the owner states, " if it's sustainable, you hunt." He's not breaking the law, and there is a quota. Not much different than raising pigs, cattle, chickens, etc. and killing them for meat. He's killing 238 animals per year out of an estimated 40,000 just in the North Atlantic.
While he does that we continue to be the biggest polluter on the planet and won't do much of anything substantial or meaningful to curb global warming.
Wake me up when you get a reality check and get off your high horse.
109
@MontanaDawg animal husbandry is totally different to hunting and killing wild animals. Better to compare whale hunting with hunting caribou.
@MontanaDawg Surely you don't mean to say you draw no line between species you will and won't consume. Presumably, you would not condone the hunting of great apes for meat? Cetaceans have indicators of a sentience that may be recognizable to humans, surely this should distinguish them from say, cod fish? As for legality...well the law is not immutable, and we certainly do not lack for examples of laws that where changed as we gained knowledge. Reality check? How about some reasoned discussion and facts?
5
@MontanaDawg
May as well stay asleep.
These are highly sentient, free beings.
These murders will eventually be stopped.
3
Shouldn’t the headline here be something like, “Man fishes for sustainable species, just like every other legally employed commercial fisherman”? Did i miss something? Is the quota they’ve established unsustainable against a population of 40,000? Is a whale somehow more deserving of protection than other animals we eat?
I consider myself an environmentalist. I believe in human-driven climate change. Poorly positioned articles like this in the NYT add legitimate kindling to accusations against the “radical left”.
32
@Ben yes, a whale is more deserving of protection than some other animals we eat. Read up about it.
8
@Ben "Is a whale somehow more deserving of protection than other animals we eat?" Exactly!
1
@Ben
Let us know when you open a whale farm on which you can control the means of production. Until then, there are privileges for the wild granted by powers and purposes far greater than humans can conceive.
4
200 whales are slaughtered each year for their meat. Um, let me think, millions of humans are killed each year. Which is worse??
5
@Mellifluos
Humans have no season to mate. Anyone, anywhere, anytime. Nine months and another human mammal. Female whales, and this is a generalization since I will not list all the whales, give birth to a calf every 2-3 years.
Whale are mammals, like us, but smarter and better. Then there is hunting for food and dealing with whalers and warmer oceans and plankton versus krill. Slaughter of species is not good. Humans put humans above everything because other species cannot weigh in on their rights. And everything is decided and defined by humans. What other species can complain?
9
@Mellifluos. Killing of the whales.
3
@laurel mancini Sure hope your vegan.
Of course it’s sustsinable, the oceans are as pristine as ever. God would never let humans kill off every living thing. I heard from an evangelical that for every animal that goes extinct god creates more, right in front of his blessed eyes. I regret consuming meat, it’s part of our DNA that will lead us to extinction. I can picture an old Icelander with dementia laying in a nursing home, gumming a fine whale steak. That’s us.
16
Coming from a country that kills innocent humans for sport using remote controlled drones, these protests are precious!
16
@Max duPont Instead of indulging in what-about-ism, what about staying on topic?
5
How much money is Loftsson making off the whales?
Why does not a billionaire environmentalist just buy him and his licence out for ten years or pay him the equivalent for just tagging the whales instead of butchering them?
18
@L Martin
He's probably making millions shipping it directly to Tokyo.
1
@matty, where’s the outrage at Tokyo?
Upton Sinclair: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."
Kristjan Loftsson, I can't condemn, at least completely. I'm a die hard liberal, but if Fox offered me a job for crazy money to work for them, I would probably take the job. At least there is an argument to be made for, (always), making money. Would I kill endangered animals for the same money? I really hope not. But, Loftsson, probably has the same disposition when killing a whale as a chicken farmer killing a chicken. The repulsiveness of killing is lost to the reality of the job, and of making money. At least he's not calling his activity, "research," like the Japanese.
12
@Prant but he does not need the money. Curses on him.
7
Puzzled about the comment that most of the Iceland whale meat being exported to Japan. Japanese newspapers have reported that whale consumption in Japan is much less than the meat arriving annually from the Japanese "research" program and that stockpiles were building up of frozen meat several years old.
4
Having read Moby Dick two summers ago along the East Coast of the USA, I am still fascinated by whaling as an industry. These photographs capture something of the novel--the isolation and the grandeur. I tend to agree with the Loftsson, If it's sustainable, you hunt it.
4
@Joseph The grandeur? Shooting an explosive charge from the safety of a steel-hulled ship? The whalers in the novel risked and sometimes lost their lives throwing harpooning out of little wooden boats. Your self-centeredness is astounding!
2
While no fan of whale hunting in any shape or form people really need to slow down and broaden their perspective. Your high-carbon western lifestyle is causing incalculably more death and destruction to the biosphere than the hunting of a few whales.
This planetary ship is sinking and sinking fast. Unless you have made meaningful personal sacrifice such as not having children, giving up flying, giving up meat and dairy then save the histrionics.
23
@frank actually I have given up all those things. Killing whales is perhaps the most cynical, arrogant, pointless and ugly act a person can do on this planet.
6
Disclaimer: I know *nothing* about the numbers of whales roaming around in the ocean.
That said, in order for the population of some species to be sustainable, hunting can prove very effective. For example, there are species where the old males literally kill the young ones who are coming up in the hierarchy. These older males are sometimes no longer able to reproduce. They are a real threat to the viability of their own species. Removing those individuals is better for the rest of the population and at the same time can have utility to humans.
4
@Fernando
And you tell which ones are which, how?
1
@Fernando this would not apply to whales who do not live in hierarchical groups. And even if they did, a whaling boat crew would not necessarily have the mens to identify an 'old male' who could potentially be a threat...
"Hvalur, pronounced KVA-lur, is the Icelandic word for whale." How does KVA-lur help me pronounce this man's name? Is it Kav-lur?
1
“If it’s sustainable, you hunt,” he said.
“It was fun,” he said of his early days on the boat.
Well, the billions of homo sapiens are even more sustainable than whales, and over the course history, many (most?) societies have found that hunting and killing people can be even more fun.
18
@Been There Is it only mammals that count as forms of life?
“If it’s sustainable, you hunt”
Hunting humans is vastly more sustainable. Is he doing that?
20
I ate a whale steak in Norway a few years ago. One would need to be very hungry to eat that meat regularly. Whales should be viewed as cats, nice creatures to have around, rather than cows, nice creatures who are good to eat.
6
@Elizabeth
By your argument, if you found the meat tastier, then you'd at least tolerate whaling. How about minding your own business as long as the whaling populating is viable, lest you prioritize saving whales over other animals that humans regularly eat.
2
Sounds like Kristjan and Elizabeth should get together. He murders whales because he can, "it's in his blood". Elizabeth eats murdered cows , "nice creatures who are good to eat". Every year in good old USA over 39 million cows are murdered because they are "nice and good to eat". Never mind that they, like whales, are sentient beings. Your children are nice creatures too, what's stopping you? Is there no end to human depravity, living by their taste buds and some survival cave man grunts? Why justify murdering another sentient species for your transient pleasure. Bravo activists, keep sinking those boats.
7
@Elizabeth
Wow. This is absolutely warped.
3
There is a marvelous new book by Nick Pyenson (curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian) "Spying on Whales". All about what we do know about the great mammals who share the earth with us and the immense amount we do not know. Let's not give ourselves permission to kill them all before we find out. The fact is no one really knows how many are left given the immensity of the oceans.
24
Currently, tourism is probably the greatest threat to Iceland's environment with millions of people crowding to see it's relatively unspoiled nature every year. In parts of Reykjavik and other towns residents are being displaced by hotels and AirBnBs, the jobs created are low-wage, low-skilled and to a large extent performed by transient foreign workers, the capital investments are risky and not particularly profitable.
Mr Loftsson's credo of sustainability is admirable and should be applied to other sectors, in Iceland and internationally.
10
Yes, there is something wrong with what you are doing Mr.Loftsson.You are killing magnificent creatures who are endangered just for some steaks to go to Japan.My great grandfather was a whaler out of New Bedford, Mass. in the late 19th century when whale oil was prized as lamp oil.Fortunately this was a relatively short period of time and electricity replaced lamp oil and whaling was no longer commercially sustainable.It is long past time when hunters should be shooting or spearing ourendangered species whether it is elephants in Africa or whales in Iceland.
56
I agree that hunters should not take endangered species unless it legal and in the best interest of the endangered species, i.e. the black rhino. The whales he takes are sustainable and not endangered - your statements makes no sense. There's nothing wrong with what he is doing. Its equivalent to fishing for tuna, salmon, lobster, etc. or any other sustainable animal that is legal to take and is consumed.
8
@Janet Michael Where did you get the idea that fin whales are endangered??? The article goes to great lengths to argue the opposite!
10
@Ben. The article stated, underlined in blue, that fin whales have been declared endangered by the International Union For Conservation of Nature.In fact, the fin whales were not hunted for 20 years in Iceland.Just because a species is sustainable does not mean it is fair game.The Bald Eagle has finally nearly made it off the endangered species list.That does not make it sustainable.
1
There is a pattern to the Western media , whether liberal, conservative, etc. The pattern goes like this, American media will point to any other country, including ones in their own spher of camaraderie, in this case , Iceland and say "Look, they kill whales".Its bad, but. And, there is always a but when dealing with westen media. America is the worst polluter on earth. Her oil companies foul the world, her factories and cars destroy the atmospheree. America uses hybrid cars to assuage their guilt. Like waving a dandelion over a gut shot, thinking your cute flower will stave off death. Iceland does need to stop killing whales, and Americans in cities need to stop driving. The UN wont force this on you. Only mass death will. Rising seas, a burning planet. Choking air. Its here and its getting much worse. So utterly bizarre the so called conservatives in America. They are liberals, economic anarchists, a liberty to childishly destroy everything. Their counteparts, brothers in arms, the liberals, ar social liberals. Both pray to the market. Their religion of money will not save them , or us.
29
America exports a culture of capitalism that destroys the environment. Tragedy of the commons. We have no place lecturing other countries about sustainable practices.
America is every man for himself. Want cheap disposable workers ? Payoff gov for H1b visa or h2b visa and replace us citizens. All in the name of profit for large corporations.
7
What an absolute sweetheart of a guy Mr. Loftsson sounds like! And you gotta love his credo: “If it’s sustainable we hunt”. Hmm. People are sustainable. Why don’t we hunt him?!
39
Would we consume them as well? If so that would be murder and cannibalism. Eating other animals is normal, human are genetically wired to consume animal protein. If you don't want to eat them then don't. But comparing hunting people to animals is silly, illogical, and does not advance the discussion.
9
@Mike rules agains cannibalism is a throwback to when humans were few and endangered. These days life if cheap--haven't you been paying attention to your president?
@Allison
Maybe California should spend more money on education than social engineering programs.
Laws against cannibalism only exist in advanced cultures that understand there is a danger to consume human flash (even if they aren't aware of bacteria). These advanced cultures were typically not short of human.
Primitive cultures on the other hand regularly consume human flash because they lack the technology and number to gether enough protein for their tribe.
In short, people tend not to eat people when there is no shortage of people. People only start eating people if there isn't already a shortage.
why not give info to register your utter disgust of this man and his company? "turn around and look the other way" as the world burns around you. What is sustainable as the entire planet is changing climatically? The intelligence of the animals he is killing surpass his.
26
Do you eat meat, fish, eggs? Have a pair of leather shoes? Drive in a car, bus or plane? You obviously use a computer ...... all of these products have animal products in them. If the resource is sustainable there is no harm in taking it. Interjecting your "disgust" in your statement is an emotional reaction and "lacks the intelligence of the animal he is killing."
1
@Mike The computer I use badly exploits and poisons (chemicals used in production and "recycling") many humans in other countries. So by your logic, because I use a computer, I can't care about any human suffering or get emotional about it? I guess you never do if you use a computer?
It is well understood that humans are over killers. Another species in that category is rats. My money is on the rats.
6
Oh Iceland I know we don’t set a good example but don’t be like us, put this guy out of business. Another 70 year old trying to wring that last dollar out for a beautiful headstone.
57
@John
Put other country's traditional food out of business so they can import more beef from the US. Darn, I did not expect Big Agriculture being this insidious. Infiltrating liberal bastion NYTimes disguised as environmentalist.
Shame on him, shame on the government allowing such barbarism and hoping Karma comes his way sooner than later.
27
Do you eat or use any animal products? The animal needs to die before you eat it (or use it in products like makeup, cars and computers), then would you consider killing a fish or other sustainable animals as barbaric? If so I believe you are out of touch with reality.
4
Killing defenseless creatures with explosives. Man’s depravity knows no bounds. Despicable.
85
Interesting comment. How do you procure your food?
10
@Joe B.
I have no way of knowing if you eat meat, but perhaps you should visit a slaughterhouse and watch cows being killed with a bolt gun to back of the skull. They too are defenseless animals.
I have no problem with those who wish to consume meat. As far as I'm concerned its a personal choice and frankly, as a vegetarian, I kill plants. I do have a problem with those who are undereducated about what it takes to put that meat on their table.
8
@Jonas Kaye
They don't normally use explosives to kill cows, pigs, and chickens!
We should all look at our own culture before we take issue with the choices of others. We force millions of animals into horrible lives and premature deaths for our food. We force natural predators off their land and to the brink of extinction so cattle can graze. We're hunting grizzlies again. I disagree with whaling to the greatest extent possible, but America is the poster child for the entitled exploitation of our environment and it's animals, and we should all examine our lives carefully to improve.
221
@Jay Correct, and really when you think about it pretty much every country on earth is doing something they should not be doing. So what are you going to do, never travel? Never shop for something made abroad? Good luck with all that.
3
@Jay Well put! If any nation is brutal, it is the United States.
9
@Jay I agree that we should each consider the cruel practices towards wildlife of our own nations and apply pressure to have these practices stopped. However, it is not hypocritical also to question what other countries are doing, such as Iceland and the Faroe Islands regarding whaling. Sometimes international pressure is extremely effective. Whaling should be stopped not only because of conservation concerns, but because whales are highly intelligent, social animals that experience profound loss when associated animals are killed. See this link for an example. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/researchers-wont-t...
Also, there is no humane way to kill massively large animals such as fin whales, least of all harpooning with explosives as seems to be the Icelandic approach.
While some tourists may be disgusted, it is his right under Icelandic law to harvest whales. Another case of people (white Americans, usually) wanting to interfere with another’s culture or traditions because it doesn’t agree with their own.
24
@Reader He is free to make a living. Running a whale watch business, then he could continue to “hunt” without destroying these beautiful, ENDANGERED creatures.
3
@Reader
When it comes to butting into other people's business, progressives beat conservatives every time. Wait till they find out that, in Japan, farmers raise a rare, adorable, fat and juicy cow, just to murder it later and serve it to The Rich.
6
@Reader What a dumb justification. If its consistent with local laws it is fine to be doing. Can you imaging any local laws you might find objectionable? I do appreciate your concern for law. For example, the school bus bombing the Saudis just did in Yemen was consistent with Saudi law (not with UN standards).
4
Humans are sustainable.
4
Do they eat humans up in Canada? I thought murder was illegal in Canada.
1
@Paul
Human are actually far from sustainable. No living organism the size of human ever reached 7+ billions. And that is just talking about food consumption alone. If we are talking about total energy consumption, human probably use 100-1000 times the energy of equivalent sized animal. Human clear cut forest for wood and farmland, strip entire mountain for metals and drill kilometers into rocks to tap energy stored 200 millions years ago because human far exceeded the Earth's carrying capacity for human.
The human race is trying to learn how not to exploit other humans and animals. Some learn slower than others. Some never learn. If nobody buys whale products, nobody will hunt. It really is that simple. As for the rest of the exploitation, one thing at a time. Humans aren't that smart.
5
Not very impressive journalism. What uses are the whales sold for? What is the purpose of the hunt? That information should be included so we can understand why only one out of three Icelanders protest this hunt. The only mention of a product made from whale bodies I can find is an iron powder to sprinkle on food. Not impressed - we have plenty of better sources for iron.
My grandfather was a big game fisherman who ate what he caught, and a hunter so I have no inherent bias against hunters, but whale hunting is NOT fishing. Whales have a highly evolved consciousness, intelligence, emotions and social structure. Loftsson says it's okay to hunt them because they're "sustainable." Well, so are we humans and we're not endangered. How would Loftsson feel about being hunted himself and made in to a powder to sprinkle over breakfast cereal?
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@Todd Fox
The meat is exported to Japan, according to the article. Also, he mentioned it's difficult to find shippers to transport his meat to Japan because shippers object to his business of whale hunting.
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@Todd Fox
Human from advanced cultures do not consume human meat because of danger of bacteria, not because of some high level morality thing you are going for. There are plenty of cultures outside of Eurasia that consume human either as regular food or for religious reason.
Further, pigs are incredibly intelligent and far closer to human biologically and emotionally yet they are still killed for food (something I am always saddened for).
Wold never visit Iceland or Norway, for this reason alone.
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@Colinpny
Could you also move out of New York? We have enough big ego in this city already.
1
Count me as one tourist who went to Iceland knowing it "kills whalles."
Bobby Fischer was still alive and NYT had carried an article on him living a rather simple plain life including taking buses and eating a whale steak at a particular restaurant.
Hopped on a plane to go out there when Iceland currency was more expensive than moon dirt and they told you about it.
So, while in Reijkavick - I used buses hoping to bump into Bobby but no luck.
Went to his restaurant where he supposedly sat at the same table.
No luck.
But did order a whale steak which was very enjoyable - it tasted as if you were eating a super prime steak.
And the price was also astronomical.
I do not subsribers to this condemnation of this Icelandic man.. Poaching and killing done in a responsible manner is good for environment and probably very sustainable.
I was in Antarctica and the cruise stopped at South Georgia islands. One of them was a whaling station and they still have remnants of machinery, photos etc - even whaling ships remains.
Now, that was wantom killing of these whales which wiped them out - almost completely.
7
This must stop. If boycotting Icelandic products and vacations is what it takes, so be it. Maybe the Sea Shepard folks can take it on?
7
Why must it stop? Its a sustainable resource.
6
@NLL
The only reason Sea Shepard aren't prosecuted is because a few countries are harboring those fugitives.
For those Americans who are dissing Norway, you should look at who is running your country and how it's been plundered and polluted to no end. Endangered species are now being overlooked to mine and forest for the sake of profit. Point a finger at someone, and three point back at you!
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@Majortrout
The fact that our own country is currently taken over by loathsome people who enact loathsome policies doesn't excuse whaling elsewhere. It's not an "either/or" situation.
I am working domestically to get rid of our corrupt administration by getting out the opposition vote. I can also contribute money to Greenpeace and other organizations that work to stop whaling.
There is no reason to kill whales in this day and age.
10
@Majortrout
I think I speak for the majority here (at least I hope I do) when I say that we are quite aware who is running our country.
November 2018 mid-term elections can't come quickly enough.
November 2020 major elections really can't come quickly enough.
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@Majortrout
Two wrongs do not make a right.
1
Whales are hunted for human consumption. They were over hunted by the Americans for oil and not to eat. Bison, in America was nearly killed to extinction, not for food, but because of "Manifest Destiny" that took away their lands. I suggest, the nay-sayers to whaling would have more scientific and moral authority of they sought ways to improve America's society that is actively finding ways to destroy the environment by using the lessons of balance the Icelanders have learned. Iceland uses less than 1% fossil fuel, for instance. How many bees are the Americans killing with their pesticides? Who will pollinate the plants then?
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@Max & Max
Citing our faults as Americans, while valid, does not lessen the validity of our criticism or an evil practice.
6
@BMD
Not the validity, for that is a matter of controversy. Rather, the credibility of those voicing the criticism. Their criticism would be more valid if they applied real pressure to implement real policy changes that protect tailpipe pollution (Trump's latest assault on humans and the environment), rather than draw attention to matters that are under Iceland's conscience. I would trade Iceland record on ecology and carbon footprints any day.
@Max & Max Ummm, so why are you here writing comments on whales if there is such important work for you to be doing?
He's right for an environmental reason:
If restrictions can't be lifted on species that recover to sustainable levels, it will be very hard to impose restrictions in the first place.
6
It seems the real focus should be on the demand side here. The article states that most of the whale meat is exported to Japan. If they stopped eating whale meat, the market disappears and large scale whaling becomes unprofitable. (Japanese whalers have been operating under the sham "research permits" their government grants itself for decades). It's similar to the poaching of rhinos in Africa which is fueled by demand for rhino horn in China for "medicinal" purposes.
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@DL But why should Japan stop eating whale meat if whale harvesting is sustainable? Don't you think it's arrogant to tell a culture to stop doing something they enjoy unless you have a truly compelling scientific reason?
9
You seem to dismiss casually the cultural Japanese interest in this animal. "If they simply stopped eating it."
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@David Konerding
Your looking for a compelling scientific reason .....for the emotional and aesthetic human responses to protect the rare and wondrous fin whale ,blue whale ,... all whales..........and the intricate web of all life in our rare and beautiful biosphere...........without understanding the "sources or origins" of your SCIENCE DOGMA........show that your comments on
"whaling culture" or any culture ..........may be too confined by worship of the, narrow and incomplete , human understanding of science........without awareness of the very consciousness that allows you to think or appreciate wonders of birth, life, and beauty and mystery of the universe !
Iceland and Norway were just crossed over my bucket list...
76
That is the best news I have heard all day.
7
@Jess
Less pompous tourist and more money spending tourist that appreciate their culture. I don't see how that's a punishment.
One can only hope he has no descendants to carry on his legacy. Making money in this manner is not acceptable to a great many people. Sadly, that seldom stops the rapaciousness of moneyed classes. This whaling happening in Iceland and other countries is enough for me to question the value of visiting such places. But with such a high bar, tourism would cease to exist. We are all guilty.
34
I wonder how many tourist who
Come to Iceland for its nature and beauty know it’s in the business of killing whales? Maybe more should be done to inform the traveling public. If it starts hurting Iceland’s tourism industry that would put pressure on them to stop.
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@Dmv74
As a visitor to Iceland I've seen whale meat on many of the restaurants there. I've just returned from Norway and have seen a larger, more public promotion of whale for tourist use. We ordered seafood platter and were surprised to fine large portions of whale served. There were several shop tents at the harbor touting whale sausage. This isn't hard to find in either country.
6
@Dmv74 Not necessarily because according to my Iceland tour guide last year, they actually WANT the tourists to go away - there are way too many and the nature spots are starting to suffer from it (and yes, I know that's ironic that they should care given the whale thing, but they do).
1
@Dmv74
And I wonder how many tourist who
come to to the US for its nature and beauty know it’s in the business of separating migrant parents from their children? Maybe more should be done to inform the traveling public...
Outrageous acts are often relative compared to others. That's not to diminish the barbaric practice of hunting cetaceans. Still, maybe we should start cleaning up our side of the street before we start telling other countries how to deal with their own internal issues.
4
It would be helpful to have the name of the agency in Iceland that granted the permission to hunt the 238 Fin Whales. He also took a Blue whale earlier this year. Did he have permission? It would be interesting to tie a boycott of other fishery products to Loftsson's whaling. Honestly, he gives the whole county (brand?) a bad name.
142
This has to end....This can't be sustainable.
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@poslug
He did not have permission to kill an endangered blue whale. He claimed it was a hybrid but it was positively identified as a blue.
1