Icelandic Minke Whalers Association has confirmed that one of its whaling boats has sailed out of Hafnarfjor for the start of the minke whaling season, they will be hunting minke whales in Faxafloi Bay.

40 per cent of Iceland's minke whale catch ends up on the dinner plates of tourists visiting the country with over 100 restaurants and shops selling minke whale meat. Iceland's whalers are putting more effort into promoting the sale of whale meat as an exotic food and have moved their processing operations to a larger location in Hafnarfjor, just south of Reykjavik. On offer will be smoked and marinated whale meat, in addition to whale steaks for grilling. The whalers are also offering consumers the chance to buy whale meat on the web, with whale steaks selling for £6.45 euros a kilo, and smoked minke meat and canned fin whale selling for £16.15 per kilo.

The minke whale hunt will continue through the summer, and whaling for the larger, endangered fin whale is expected to begin in late June.