Whale Hunted in Iceland Takes Two Hours To Die in Disturbing Footage

A fin whale has been filmed taking more than two hours to die after being harpooned by whalers in Iceland.

The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority released an edited video of the hunt, but Newsweek has chosen not to include it due to the graphic nature of the footage. A clip was reposted by U.K. wildlife charity, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), showing the whale sticking its head out of the water and immediately being shot by the hunters.

It follows a report from the Icelandic government that set out to see whether whale hunting meets the objected of animal welfare laws. Assessments found hunted whales suffer slow and painful deaths after being harpooned.

"Whaling needs to stop because, as the Icelandic government's own report shows, it is fundamentally cruel," Danny Groves, head of communications at WDC told Newsweek. The charity has been campaigning for a global ban of the practice.

"These poor majestic creatures are experiencing huge pain and distress on levels that would be banned even in most slaughterhouses on land. Many of the fin whales shot with grenade-tipped harpoons are pregnant females," he said.

The government report based findings on 148 whales that were caught in Iceland during the 2022 fishing season from June to September. Out of this number, 36 had to be shot more than once. Five whales were shot three times, and four whales were shot four times.

Nearly 40 percent of fin whales struggled for more than 11 minutes before they eventually died. Some took far more than an hour to die.

Whalers in Iceland hunt both fin whales and minke whales. Fin whales, the second largest whale on Earth, are listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The practice has been going on in the country since the 12th century. Some in Iceland believe that whaling is similar to fishing and is part of the country's heritage.

The report determined that the hunting of large whales does take too long "based on the main objectives of the law on animal welfare."

However, it still believes the best-known methods were used during the hunts. Therefore it deemed that Iceland's Animal Welfare Act had not been violated.

The Icelandic government set out plans in 2022 to end whaling by 2024. During the pandemic, due to reduced demand, there were no hunts at all in 2019 and 2020. Only one minke whale was killed in 2021. However, whalers resumed operations in June 2022.

"The hunts are pointless because there is very little interest in eating the meat, and most is sold to Japan where demand is low and it has to be frozen in stockpiles. There is such little appetite for the meat, some ends up as dog food, and some whale products end up in cosmetics," said Groves.

Another whale hunted during the 2022 season was harpooned but did not die. The vessel then chased the whale for five hours without success.

"Whales are our allies in helping to fight climate breakdown. They help to keep the ocean healthy, and a healthy ocean is vital if we are to reverse the damage already done to the planet. It is therefore perverse that, whilst the Earth heats up, we are subjecting whales to such agonizing deaths only to then chop them up to put them in beauty creams to rub on our faces," Groves said.

"The latest welfare report and shocking video footage that came with it now give the Icelandic government the ammunition to harpoon the harpoons. The evidence that highlights the time to death for a large number of these whales contravene basic standards and so they should stop immediately."

Newsweek has contacted the Icelandic government for comment.

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