Norwegian whale hunters killed 418 minke whales this year, according to government data. This makes the Scandinavian country world leader, ahead of Japan, Iceland and the Faeroe Islands.
Norway allows whale hunting for meat, which is then massively exported. Norway is one of the country’s that is going against commercial whale hunting, that has been internationally prohibited since 1996.
The Norwegian government allowed up to 1,641 whales to be killed during the past summer’s hunting season. Although the number was not reached, the authorities raised the limit from 1,406. Nature preservationists are massively against the whale hunt, also because of the tremendous suffering it causes to the animals. Shot with harpoons the whale’s dying process takes about 30 minutes.
According to international wildlife organisations about 150,000 minke whales call the Atlantic Ocean their home. The animals are essential for the ocean’s ecosystem. | © 2026 Marcel Burger, nordicreporter.com.