Iceland has killed at least 93 fin whales this summer, making this (together with an additional 63 minke whales) the largest commercial whale hunt in North Atlantic waters for decades.

It is extimated that the meat and blubber from the whales may yield a staggering two million kilogrammes of edible products.

As the current population of Iceland is a little above 300,000 I imagine that there will be more than enough meat for everyone in Iceland and a little left over too!

Iceland stopped commercial whaling after whalers discovered they couldn't find domestic markets for the meat they caught.

A Gallup poll in 2006 found "Only 1.1 percent of Icelanders eat whale meat once a week or more, while 82.4 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds never eat whale meat."

Iceland's fin whaling company said on Friday it plans a huge export of about 1,500 tonnes of whale meat, mainly to Japan

BBC News Science and Environment

Last year, Hvalur hf exported about 65 tonnes of whalemeat to Japan, a consignment that owner Kristjan Loftsson described as a "loss-leader".
But following this year's huge catch, he believes the next one can make money.

Mr Loftsson said he had now suspended fin whaling for this season, having caught 125 from a quota of 150.

The remaining 25 can be carried over into next year's hunting season.

This compares with a total of seven caught in the previous three years.

The fin is globally listed as an endangered species, though Icelandic marine scientists maintain stocks are big enough locally to sustain a hunt of this size.

New quotas were controversially set by the government of Geir Haarde just before it left office in January.


..............some conservationists believe Mr Loftsson is using whaling as a way to lobby against EU membership.