Whaling advice in 2026

Minke whale by the Westfjords in Iceland.
Photo: Sverrir Daniel Halldorsson.

Marine and Freshwater Research Institute and NAMMCO (The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission)  advise that when the Revised Management Procedure is applied annual catch of fin whales in 2026 should be no more than 150 animals, thereof 116 animals in the East-Greenland/West-Iceland (EG/WI) management area and 34 animals in the East Iceland/Faroes (EI/F) management area. This is a 28% decrease from previous advice. The advice for minke whales is 168 animals in the Central Icelandic Coastal management area, a 23 % decrease from previous advice.

One year advice

The advice is based on assessments by the scientific committees of both the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) and the International Whaling Commission (IWC). This advice is for one year (2026) and will be updated later in the year once the new abundance estimates have been approved by relevant groups and committees within NAMMCO. Due to that, a 20 % precautionary reduction in the catch is applied. High uncertainty in the latest abundance estimates suggests that no major changes in the advice are to be expected once the 2024 abundance estimates are included in the assessment.

The advice for fin whale can be found here and for minke whale here.