An Iceland whaling ban could move closer in 2027, after the government included a comprehensive revision of the country’s whaling legislation in its new parliamentary programme. The proposal is scheduled for February 2027 and will explicitly examine the possibility of permanently prohibiting whale hunting in Icelandic waters, although the government has not yet presented the final wording of the bill.
Iceland whaling ban would rewrite a law dating from 1949
According to the Icelandic government’s legislative agenda for 2026-27, the planned bill would comprehensively revise the Whaling Act, which dates from 1949 and has changed relatively little since it was adopted.
The government says the revision will draw on a 2025 working-group report on the administration and legal framework surrounding whaling. In particular, lawmakers are expected to consider arguments for a permanent ban on whaling, as well as the constitutional issues that such a prohibition could raise, including questions related to freedom of occupation and property rights.
The proposal comes after Minister of Industries (Atvinnuvegaráðherra) Hanna Katrín Friðriksson argued earlier this year that Iceland’s current whaling legislation was outdated and expressed support for ending the hunt.
Animal welfare concerns changed the debate
Political scrutiny of Icelandic whaling intensified after a government-commissioned investigation into the 2022 fin whale hunt found serious animal-welfare problems. Some harpooned whales took as long as two hours to die, according to the findings.
The controversy led the government to temporarily postpone the start of the 2023 whaling season. Icelandic authorities later introduced stricter rules intended to improve hunting practices. Official documents also show that the legal basis used to delay the hunt was subsequently criticised by the Parliamentary Ombudsman, adding a legal dimension to the debate over how whaling should be regulated or prohibited.
The debate then moved beyond hunting methods. In 2024, the government appointed a working group to examine the broader legal framework, including options ranging from continued hunting to restrictions or a future ban.
Eighty fin whales have been caught this season
According to Humane World for Animals, cited by The Guardian, 80 fin whales had been caught in Icelandic waters by 8 September 2026.
The hunting season runs from June until the end of September, with a quota allowing up to 150 animals this year. Fin whales are the second-largest animals on Earth after blue whales and are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Animal-welfare organisations have welcomed the prospect of legislative change. Humane World for Animals described the planned bill as an important milestone, while the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said that revising the legislation could represent a significant shift towards stronger marine conservation and animal-welfare standards.
Existing permits could delay an effective end to whaling
Even if Alþingi eventually approves a permanent prohibition, commercial whaling may not necessarily stop immediately.
Iceland currently has only one company hunting fin whales, Hvalur, operated by Kristján Loftsson. In December 2024, the Icelandic government issued the company a licence under a five-year arrangement extending through 2029.
Animal-welfare campaigners have acknowledged that existing permits could potentially be allowed to run until they expire. The precise treatment of those licences will therefore be one of the significant legal questions surrounding any future ban.
Iceland could leave Norway and Japan as the only commercial whalers
Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006, despite the moratorium on commercial hunting introduced by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in the 1980s.
Only three countries have conducted commercial whale hunts in recent years: Iceland, Norway and Japan. Norway resumed commercial whaling in 1993, while Japan withdrew from the IWC in 2019 and subsequently restarted commercial hunting in its own waters.
If Iceland ultimately introduces a permanent ban, Norway and Japan would remain the only countries permitting commercial whaling. For Iceland, however, the next decisive stage will come in February 2027, when the government is expected to present the details of the proposed revision and clarify whether a permanent prohibition will become part of the legislation submitted to Alþingi.
