EU membership may stop Iceland whaling

Iceland could be forced to end its controversial whale hunting tradition in its bid to join the European Union, the head of a leading Icelandic whaling company has said. Kristjan Loftsson, the 66-year-old chief executive of Hvalur, fears Brussels would clamp down on whaling in Iceland due to widespread opposition by European countries.

Iceland and Norway are the only two countries in the world that authorise commercial whaling despite a 23-year-old moratorium set by the International Whaling Commission, which opens its annual meeting shortly in Portugal's Madeira island. Iceland, which pulled out of the moratorium in 2006, launched its annual whaling season on May 26 with a larger hunting quota. Loftsson said Iceland should stay out of the EU, not in the interests of whale hunters but in the interest of the country's fishing industry as a whole.

Iceland's Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir campaigned in the country's recent elections on a promise to let Icelandic voters have the final say on joining the EU. Iceland may join the European Union in the near future. In February, Iceland increased its whaling quotas to 150 fin whales and 100 minke whales per year, up from the nine fin whales and 40 minke whales per year.

Loftsson, who started hunting at the age of 13, says whaling "like any other industry creates jobs, income and foreign currency" and is an essential part of the Icelandic economy. Hvalur has been hunting whales since 1948 and employees about 150 people, of which 30 people are deployed on its two fishing vessels. It is currently the only company which is allowed to hunt fin whales around the Icelandic coast.

Last year, Iceland decided to resume whale meat exports to Japan after an 18-year hiatus.