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Agence France-Presse

Is it a blue whale or not?
The slaughter in Iceland of what is claimed was a member of the endangered species has triggered outrage and left experts puzzled about its true identity.
“There has not been a blue whale harpooned by anyone for the last 50 years until this one,” Sea Shepherd, an international non-profit marine conservation movement, said in a statement on Wednesday.


The group, which published photos of the mammal being butchered for export at an Icelandic whaling station on the night of July 7, said the fishermen “posed for photos next to and even on top of the whale in a sign they knew very well this was a rare blue whale”.
But Icelandic experts are not completely certain whether it is indeed the world’s largest leviathan, which the International Whaling Commission has been protecting since 1966.
They are also not sure if it could be the endangered fin whale, the second largest animal on the planet, which can only be legally hunted in Iceland despite an international moratorium on whaling.
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Kristjan Loftsson, CEO of Hvalur, the whaling station which slaughtered the animal, said they did so believing it was a fin whale.
Most of the fin whales killed are exported as meat to Japan.
“We see blue whales all the time and identify them by their blowholes … but we leave them alone,” he said.

For Gisli Vikingsson, a scientist at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute in Reykjavik, the butchered whale’s characteristics are similar to both the blue and fin whale.
“There is a large dorsal side with a small dorsal fin like a fin whale … this explains perhaps why it was hunted as such,” he said, adding its “size and markings on the side are like those of a blue whale”.
He added the whale could even be a hybrid species resulting from cross-breeding between the fin and blue whale, which is a rare phenomenon.
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Since 1987, five such animals have been observed in Icelandic waters and they are known to be infertile.
All killed whales in Iceland undergo DNA tests after the hunting season and the results are released during the fall.
However, because of the controversy surrounding this particular case, a test will be done earlier than planned and the results are expected at the end of July.
But Sea Shepherd said the fishing crew which butchered the animal mixed its parts with previously caught fin whales, making “it difficult or impossible to locate during potential inspections by the authorities”.

“This shows how inaccurate and imperfect this hunting is and there is no need to continue it,” said Sigursteinn Masson, an Iceland representative for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Should the killed whale be confirmed as a hybrid, then things could become even more complicated as there are no laws to protect them.
“Hybrids are much more rarer than the blue whales,” Masson said.


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Conservation

Outrage erupts after Icelandic fishermen are accused of harpooning a blue whale

The conservation organisation Sea Shepherd provided this photo which it says is a blue whale awaiting slaughter in Hvalfjordur, Iceland. The organisation said that a blue whale had not been harpooned in at least 50 years. Photo: AFP/Sea Shepherd/Robert Read

This handout photo made available by the marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd on July 13, 2018 shows what they report to be a Blue whale awaiting slaughter at the Hvalur hf whaling station in Hvalfjordur Iceland on July 7, 2018. A controversy erupted in Iceland after accusations by Sea Shepherd, claiming that a blue whale was harpooned, a first for 50 years. / AFP PHOTO / Sea Shepherd Global / Robert Read / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / SEA SHEPHERD / ROBERT READ " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

This handout photo made available by the marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd on July 13, 2018 shows what they report to be the Hvalur 8 bringing in a Fin whale (right) and a Blue whale (left)to the Hvalur hf whaling station in Hvalfjordur Iceland on July 7, 2018. A controversy erupted in Iceland after accusations by Sea Shepherd, claiming that a blue whale was harpooned, a first for 50 years. / AFP PHOTO / Sea Shepherd Global / Robert Read / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / SEA SHEPHERD / ROBERT READ " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

There’s nothing cute about a whale wearing lipstick, or keeping marine mammals in captivity

Beluga whales swim in an indoor marine world inside a shopping mall at Guangzhou's central business district. Photo: Gloria Chan

TOPSHOT - In this picture taken on January 10, 2016, a woman poses for a photo in front of a beluga whale at a zoo in Beijing. AFP PHOTO / WANG ZHAO / AFP / WANG ZHAO

A dolphin at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It is one of eight that will be moved to a new sanctuary in Florida or the Carribean. MUST CREDIT: Theresa Kell, National Aquarium.

Dead whale sparks marine fears in Thailand

Photo: Bangkok Post

Trapping trash in nets or behind barriers near the mouths of rivers and klongs can prevent massive amounts of traffic from endangering marine life. Photo: Bangkok Post

Sad end for whale in Thailand after it swallowed 80 plastic bags

The small male pilot whale became the latest victim after it was found barely alive in a canal near the border with Malaysia

TOPSHOT - This handout picture from ThaiWhales a private whale conservation group, taken on May 28, 2018 and released on June 2, 2018 shows ThaiWhales volunteers and governmment marine veterinarians from Department of Marine and Coastal Resources rescuing a sick male pilot whale at sea in the coastal area of southern Thailand near the Malaysian border. A whale has died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags, officials said, ending an attempted rescue that failed to nurse the mammal back to health. / AFP PHOTO / THAIWHALES / - / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / THAIWHALES " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVES

Volunteers and government marine veterinary surgeons try to save the sick male pilot whale. Photo: EPA

Viral whale shark video prompts calls for Hong Kong to tighten laws and protect endangered species

The site where the whale shark video was filmed is undisclosed to protect the animal and the fishing spot. Photo: Facebook

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Europe

A conservation group says it is a blue whale, but its true identity remains in dispute


A conservation group says it is a blue whale, but others are not so sure.


Iceland

Environment