Whaling after the moratorium (Japan, Norway, Iceland)
- Whaling reduced great-whale biomass by about 81%, according to Pearson and colleagues (2023).
- My Antarctic blue whales number about 2,000 to 3,500 where there were once 239,000.
- My Western South Atlantic humpbacks have returned to about 93% of their pre-whaling number; my North Pacific humpbacks fell about 20% between 2012 and 2021.
- The iron in my faeces and the nitrogen I carry to breeding grounds have been modelled but not measured at field level; I cannot tell you whether the sea is more liveable for people with more of me.
- Researchers Population models reviewed: Western South Atlantic humpbacks are at about 93% of their pre-whaling number; North Pacific humpbacks fell about 20% in 2012-2021; Antarctic blue whales stand at about 1 to 1.5% of their pre-whaling number.
- International bodies IWC: Titled its 2026 outcome the 'Hobart Declaration, new measures'; the South Atlantic sanctuary proposal fell short of the three-quarters threshold (39 for, 18 against). The Star (dpa)
- Company or project A whaling company (unnamed in the sources reviewed): Whales eat three to six times as much fish as people catch.
- Researchers Models reviewed: Removing whales would not meaningfully raise fish catches.
- Government and regulators Norway: The stock is very good and strictly regulated.
- Press and investigations Catch records reviewed: The 2025 catch was 31% of the quota; the 2026 quota increase came from carrying over unused quota.
The International Whaling Commission adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982, in force from 1986. Whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland continued in later decades, and recovery has differed widely between whale populations.
Season of 94 days closed on 20 September 2026; the company named in the record is Hvalur hf.
Status As of September 2026: Iceland's 2026 season closed on 20 September with 93 fin whales taken; the IWC again rejected a South Atlantic sanctuary in 2026.
- Whaling operators in Japan, Norway and Iceland — Continued catches in 2025-2026; Japan's whaling continued on a state budget of about 5.07 billion yen (fiscal 2026).
- Japanese taxpayers — Reported to have carried the cost of whaling, including 2.28 billion yen from the 2011 earthquake reconstruction fund.
- Great whale populations — About 2.9 million large whales killed in the twentieth century; Antarctic blue whales at about 1 to 1.5% of their pre-whaling number. NBC News
What happened
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) voted in 1982 for a moratorium on commercial whaling; the vote was 25 to 7 and the moratorium took effect in 1986. The Animal Welfare Institute and allied groups had launched a 'Save the Whales' campaign in 1971.
Whaling did not stop everywhere after 1986. The sources reviewed record catches in 2025 of 293 whales for Japan, with Japan's whaling continuing on a state budget of about 5.07 billion yen for fiscal 2026, and 429 whales for Norway, where the 2025 catch was 31% of the quota. Iceland took 93 fin whales in 2026 against a quota of 150, after its remaining whaling company had not hunted for the two preceding years.
Populations have recovered unevenly. A 2019 model put the Western South Atlantic humpback at about 93% of its pre-whaling number, up from about 450 animals in the mid-1950s, where the IWC had estimated 47% in 2006. In the North Pacific, humpback numbers fell about 20% between 2012 and 2021, which researchers linked to a marine heatwave. Antarctic blue whales stand at roughly 1 to 1.5% of their pre-whaling number, according to the research reviewed.
The accounts of the moratorium's effects also differ over valuation. IMF economists calculated in 2019 that a whale was worth more than 2 million dollars; the authors of papers cited in that calculation wrote in 2022 that its scientific basis was lacking. Published estimates put whale carbon at no more than 0.004 to 0.02% of annual fossil emissions, and Project Drawdown rates it 'Keep Watching' at under 0.02 Gt CO2 a year.
Enforcement has been thin where whaling broke the rules. The Soviet Union killed at least 190,183 whales in the North Pacific in 1948-79 and reported 169,638 to the IWC; in 1994 the IWC adopted a resolution on Russia's recovered records that, per the record, praised rather than penalised it. In 2014 the International Court of Justice ordered Japan only to revoke its whaling permits. At its 2026 meeting the IWC again rejected a South Atlantic whale sanctuary: 39 votes in favour and 18 against, short of the three-quarters threshold.
- 1971Animal Welfare Institute and allies launch the 'Save the Whales' campaign
- 1982IWC votes 25 to 7 for a moratorium on commercial whaling
- 1986Moratorium takes effect
- 1994IWC resolution on Russian catch records; no penalty or compensation on record
- 2014International Court of Justice orders Japan to revoke its whaling permits
- 2015Sea Shepherd's US entity pays 2.55 million dollars to Japanese whaling bodies
- 2025Japan takes 293 whales; Norway 429, 31% of its quota
- 2026Iceland takes 93 fin whales (quota 150); IWC again rejects South Atlantic sanctuary (39 for, 18 against)
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Western South Atlantic humpbacks are at about 93% of their pre-whaling number; North Pacific humpbacks fell about 20% in 2012-2021; Antarctic blue whales stand at about 1 to 1.5% of their pre-whaling number.
Titled its 2026 outcome the 'Hobart Declaration, new measures'; the South Atlantic sanctuary proposal fell short of the three-quarters threshold (39 for, 18 against).
The Star (dpa)Whales eat three to six times as much fish as people catch.
Removing whales would not meaningfully raise fish catches.
The stock is very good and strictly regulated.
The 2025 catch was 31% of the quota; the 2026 quota increase came from carrying over unused quota.
A whale is worth more than 2 million dollars and the stock about 1 trillion dollars.
The scientific basis for the valuation is lacking.
Whale carbon is under 0.02 Gt CO2 a year and does not meaningfully change the course of climate.
How it looked
Shown
- 'Whales eat three to six times as much fish as people catch'A whaling company (unnamed in the sources reviewed)
- 'The stock is very good and strictly regulated'Norway
- 'One whale is worth 2 million dollars; the stock is worth 1 trillion dollars'IMF economists, 2019
- 'Hobart Declaration, new measures'IWC, 2026
Recorded
- Norway's 2025 catch was 31% of its quota; the 2026 quota increase came from carrying over unused quota.
- Models reviewed indicate that removing whales would not meaningfully raise fish catches.
- The authors of papers cited in the IMF valuation wrote in 2022 that its scientific basis was lacking.
- The IWC's 2026 South Atlantic sanctuary vote fell below the three-quarters threshold: 39 in favour, 18 against.
- The IWC took no recorded penalty against Russia for under-reported Soviet catches and praised it in 1994 for finding old records.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2014Outcome not on recordInternational Court of Justice: whaling permitsInternational Court of Justice · International court · Not stated in the sources reviewed → Japan
In 2014 the court ordered Japan to revoke its whaling permits; the sources reviewed record no other remedy.
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
Court
- Unclear International Court of Justice: whaling permits: outcome not on record.
Figures
- Insufficient Public grants / subsidies: Reported taxpayer cost 1987-2008, from an advocacy source.
Accounts
- Disputed What is a whale worth, and is the valuation sound?
Record
- None on record The sources reviewed give no evaluation of whether the 'ideal' population level for any species has been reached; the IWC's own target is defined for managing hunting, not for ecological restoration.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: Japan, Norway and Iceland together caught more than 44,000 whales between 1986 and 2024 under objections and 'scientific permits'.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: the IWC objected-to vote details, including which states (Japan, Norway, Peru, the Soviet Union) lodged objections and that Norway remained unbound.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: Japan withdrew from the IWC in 2019 and returned to commercial whaling in its own waters.
- Unclear Reported but not independently verified: a 2008 advocacy-commissioned report of 13 million whale-watchers in 119 countries spending 2.1 billion dollars.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: the Soviet Union killed 48,702 humpbacks in 1947-73 and reported 2,710.
- Not disclosed Revenue and profit of the Icelandic whaling company are not disclosed in the sources reviewed.
Did the harm stop?
Not stopped: the sources reviewed record catches of 293 whales by Japan and 429 by Norway in 2025 and 93 fin whales by Iceland in 2026.
Who paid?
Japanese taxpayers are recorded as carrying the cost of whaling (at least 30 billion yen in 1987-2008, per an advocacy source, and 2.28 billion yen from the 2011 earthquake reconstruction fund); the sources reviewed record no repayment of whaling earnings by any company or state.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Iceland's last whaling company shrugs off threat of permanent banThe Star (Reuters) · 2026-09-14
- South Atlantic whale sanctuary bid blocked againThe Star (dpa) · 2026-10-02
Communities and civil society
Researchers
- Soviet catches: revised totalsJournal of Cetacean Research and Management (IWC) ·
International bodies
- IWC Resolution 1994-6InforMEA · 1994
Connected cases
- Save the Whales campaign and IWC whaling moratorium Global · 1971 Related matter
- International Whaling Commission (International organisation) — here: Regulator: adopted the moratorium (1982) and rejected the South Atlantic sanctuary (2026); there: Adopted the moratorium (1982)
- Sea Shepherd (NGO) — here: Anti-whaling group; paid 2.55 million dollars to Japanese whaling bodies in 2015; there: Paid US$2.55 million to Japanese whaling bodies (2015)
- Animal Welfare Institute (NGO) — here: Launched the 'Save the Whales' campaign (1971); there: Launched the Save the Whales campaign (1971)
- Whale oil, kerosene and the 1986 whaling moratorium International · 1859–2022 Related matter
- Antarctic krill fishing near penguin colonies Antarctica · 2024–2026
- Sea Shepherd (NGO) — here: Anti-whaling group; paid 2.55 million dollars to Japanese whaling bodies in 2015; there: NGO critic of the record catch
- Thunder illegal fishing chase São Tomé and Príncipe · 2013–2018
- Sea Shepherd (NGO) — here: Anti-whaling group; paid 2.55 million dollars to Japanese whaling bodies in 2015; there: Pursued the vessel; source of the account of the chase and the earnings estimate
- World Court says fossil fuel production may be a wrongful act under international law Global · 2022–2025
- International Court of Justice (Court) — here: Ordered Japan to revoke whaling permits (2014); there: issued the advisory opinion