Norway's whaling industry is the largest and deadliest in the world, with over 2,000 whales killed in Norway alone between 2020 and 2023, Danny Groves, head of communications at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, told Report.
He explained that despite the ban on commercial whaling in 1986, several countries, including Norway, have killed about 40,000 large whales since then.
"Norwegian whaling is the deadliest in the world. Despite scientists expressing concern for many years and questioning the sustainability of Norwegian whaling, the country uses its own method of counting whale numbers, allowing them to kill more," he said.
As an example, Groves cited minke whales. He said that although this species of whale is not classified as endangered, there are large gaps in the study of the life and migration of this mammal.
According to him, researchers express serious concern about the apparent decline in the number of these whales in Norway. Minke whales face the cumulative impact of many human activities, such as entanglement in fishing gear, chemical and noise pollution, ship strikes, as well as the consequences of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.
"Between 2000 and 2015, more than two-thirds (68%) of minke whales killed by Norwegian whalers were female, and more than 40% of them were pregnant," he said.
Groves emphasized that according to research, whaling is conducted using cruel methods, resulting in many of them dying slowly and painfully. "Ironically, Norway was one of the first European countries to require animals to be stunned before slaughter, but whales are not given such protection," he said.
In conclusion, the fauna defender explained that whales are an important part of the ocean ecosystem, which absorbs more carbon and produces more oxygen than all the forests on Earth combined.