For a long time, whaling has been full of controversy, and at present, the only countries in the world that allow commercial whaling are Iceland, Norway and Japan, and recently, Iceland announced that it will shut down the whaling industry from 2024. According to reports, the main consumer market for Icelandic whale meat is in Japan. After Japan resumed commercial whaling in 2019, demand for Icelandic whale meat has decreased significantly. There are multiple reasons why the benefits of commercial whaling are getting lower and lower. The closure of fishing off the coast of Iceland has expanded, and whalers have to travel deeper to hunt. The increasing safety requirements for imported meat make it more difficult to export whale meat from Iceland. Due to restrictions such as social distancing required by the COVID-19 pandemic, Iceland's whale processing plants have not been able to function properly. In addition, whales have become the star of Iceland's eco-tourism industry. In 2019, more than 360,000 visitors came to the North Atlantic waters near Iceland to see whales. Once Iceland's decision takes effect, the only countries in the world that will allow commercial whaling will be Norway and Japan, according to reports. (CCTV Finance)
