2年ぶりのナガスクジラ捕獲に抗議　アイスランド動物保護団体が声明
Protests Emerge After First Fin Whales Caught in Two Years in Iceland

2026年6月23日、アイスランドの捕鯨会社Hvalur hf.が2年ぶりとなるナガスクジラ（Fin Whale）2頭を捕獲し、Hvalfjörðurの捕鯨基地へ水揚げした。

これを受けて、アイスランド動物保護協会（Dýraverndarsamband Íslands）は声明を発表し、「捕鯨は非人道的であり、商業的にも意味を失っている」として、政府に対し捕鯨の早期終了を求めた。

同団体は、過去2年間捕鯨が行われなかったにもかかわらず、依然として冷凍倉庫内に販売先のない鯨肉在庫が残っていると指摘。また、2023年に動物福祉専門委員会が「ナガスクジラを人道的に捕殺する方法は確認されておらず、現在の捕鯨は動物福祉法に抵触する可能性がある」と結論付けたことにも言及した。

さらに声明では、捕鯨継続の背景について疑問を呈し、捕鯨会社Hvalur hf.のオーナーであるKristján Loftsson氏の真意についてメディアに検証を求めている。

アイスランドでは2年間中断していた商業捕鯨が今シーズン再開されたが、捕鯨支持派と反対派の対立は依然として続いており、今後も国内外で議論が続く見通しである。

出典：

Morgunblaðið（2026年6月23日）

「Hvalveiðarnar ómannúðlegar og tilgangslausar」

記事URL：
https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2026/06/23/hvalveidarnar_omannudlegar_og_tilgangslausar/

※本記事はMorgunblaðið掲載の記事をもとに要約しています。詳細は上記原文記事をご参照ください。

On June 23, 2026, Icelandic whaling company Hvalur hf. landed two fin whales at its whaling station in Hvalfjörður, marking the first fin whale catch in Iceland in two years.

Following the landing, the Icelandic Animal Welfare Association (Dýraverndarsamband Íslands) issued a statement strongly criticizing the resumption of whaling, describing it as both “inhumane” and “commercially pointless.” The organization urged the Icelandic government to bring an end to whaling as soon as possible.

According to the association, significant quantities of whale meat remain in frozen storage despite the fact that no whaling activities had taken place over the past two years. The group argued that there is still no meaningful market for the existing inventory.

The statement also referred to the findings of Iceland’s Animal Welfare Council in 2023, which concluded that there is no known humane method for killing fin whales and that such hunts may not comply with Iceland’s animal welfare legislation.

In addition, the organization questioned the motives behind the continuation of whaling and called on the media to further examine the intentions of Kristján Loftsson, the principal owner of Hvalur hf.

Although Iceland has resumed commercial whaling after a two-year hiatus, the debate between supporters and opponents of whaling remains highly controversial and is expected to continue both domestically and internationally.

Source:

Morgunblaðið (June 23, 2026)

“Hvalveiðarnar ómannúðlegar og tilgangslausar”

Original article:
Morgunblaðið article (June 23, 2026)

This article is based on a summary of a news report published by Morgunblaðið. Readers are encouraged to refer to the original article for further details.