Head of the blue whale photographed by Sea Shepherd. (Photo: Sea Shepherd)

Hvalur hf accused of slaughtering blue whale, angering marine conservationists

ICELAND
Saturday, July 14, 2018, 01:30 (GMT + 9)

An Icelandic anti-whaling group has accused company Hvalur hf of slaughtering an endangered blue whale in the fjord of Hvalfjordur, which sparked anger among marine conservationists.

The conservation group has photographic evidence showing the carcass of a blue whale to support its accusation of the whaling company, owned by Kristjan Loftsson, who denied the allegations, insisting the animal was a fin whale or a hybrid of the two, which are not protected under Icelandic law.

However, Ellen Coombs, a biologist at University College London, told The Independent that it is definitely a blue or at the very least a bluefin hybrid, noting that only a handful of hybrids had been spotted in Icelandic waters in the last 30 years.

Coombs, who is researching the impact of climate on whale diversity, said the images showed a much lighter dorsal fin than would be found on a fin whale, with blue-grey mottled skin characteristic of a blue. A white underbelly and chin commonly found on fin whales appeared to be absent as well.

"Now is the best time to see blues around Iceland, so I imagine that despite still being rare, their numbers around Iceland are at their highest during these months," she added.

For his part, Phillip Clapham, of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Alaska Fisheries Science Centre, said in a statement: "From the photos, it has all the characteristics of a blue whale. Given that, notably the coloration pattern, there is almost no possibility that an experienced observer would have misidentified it as anything else at sea."

Meanwhile, Paul Watson, founder of marine conservation group Sea Shepherd, said: “I know a blue whale when I see one and this whale slaughtered by Kristjan Loftsson is a blue whale.”

In his view, this man must be stopped from ruthlessly violating international conservation law and bringing such disrepute to the nation of Iceland, adding that there can be no legal justification for this action.

If confirmed as a blue whale, it would be the first known time one had been deliberately captured and killed in 40 years, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

“We have never caught a blue whale in our waters since they were protected," Loftsson told CNN. "We see them in the ocean. When you approach a blue whale, it's so distinct that you leave it alone."

He added that if it was a blue whale, the catch was entirely accidental.
 
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