Slayed in Iceland: The commercial hunting and international trade in endangered fin whales is the result of a joint investigation into Iceland’s fin whaling industry by AWI, the Environmental Investigation Agency, and WDC-Whale and Dolphin Conservation. The report provides an in-depth look at the hunt for the majestic fin whale, the second largest animal on earth.
The report describes how Kristján Loftsson, director of the Hvalur hf whaling company, has worked to create a market for fin whale products, including using the resources of another company for which he serves as chair of the board—the Icelandic fishing giant HB Grandi. Since Hvalur resumed whaling in 2006, it has killed more than 500 endangered fin whales and exported more than 5,000 metric tons of fin whale products, undermining both the International Whaling Commission’s moratorium on commercial whaling and the ban on international commercial trade in fin whale products imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Slayed in Iceland outlines the financial and logistical links between the whalers and some of Iceland’s largest companies, and includes recommended actions for governments and corporations to take to ensure that they do not support Hvalur's whaling activities. The report is available on AWI’s website at www.awionline.org/slayed.