The annual Norwegian Whale Hunting season will today. In total, over 500 whales are reported to have been hunted during this season, the most since 2016.
Norway is one of only three countries in the world, beside Japan and Iceland, to permit the commercial hunting of whales. The practice of whale hunting is a long established tradition in the Scandinavian country, having been carried out for centuries.
However, recent years have seen the popularity of whale meat decline significantly, particularly amongst younger generations. There is significant support amongst this group in particular for the creation of ‘no-hunting’ zones, where hunters will be banned from targeting whales.
