Good news: Iceland just announced it will ban commercial whaling! The government says it will introduce a bill in February to end the hunt for good. It’s a huge win that took years of public pressure to achieve. Iceland’s claim to whaling was absurd from the start. It never had a history or culture around whaling, despite what many believe. The industry came down to one man, an 84-year-old millionaire running the country’s last whaling company at a loss, trying to force a market for whale meat that barely exists. This summer alone, his boats killed 80 fin whales, the second-largest animals on Earth after blue whales.  Now that Iceland is stepping away, only two countries will be left hunting whales commercially: Norway and Japan. PaulNicklen breaks down the full history of commercial whaling, and makes the case for why Norway and Japan need to be next. Read the full essay on Substack, link in bio. Photos by Mitty #Iceland #Whale #CommercialWhaling #Explore