Norwegian Whaling Season: May 2019 Update

This year's whaling season in Norway has not been going well for the whalers. The season began two months ago on April 1st. "Only" 98 whales have been caught so far. By this time last year, 163 whales had been caught. Whalers have attributed the decrease in catch to bad weather without mentioning other possible factors. This follows a similar pattern to the last few years. While the Fisheries Minister has increased the quota year after year, the actual catch has gone down with rumors of being unable to find the whales. While we are obviously happy that less whales are being killed, it's also worrisome that it may be due to less in the area. While not specifically targeting them, Norwegian whalers have killed pregnant minke whales for years due their larger size and relatively slower speed. The result of this could impact not just one generation of the population but two.