Iceland , Puts Annual <br />Whale Hunt , on Hold .<br />'Newsweek' reports that Iceland has placed its annual <br />whale hunt on hold amid claims that it does <br />not comply with the country's Animal Welfare Act. .<br />This activity cannot continue <br />in the future if the authorities <br />and the license holders cannot <br />ensure the fulfillment of <br />the welfare requirements. , Svandís Svavarsdóttir, Icelandic Minister <br />of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, via NBC.<br />This activity cannot continue <br />in the future if the authorities <br />and the license holders cannot <br />ensure the fulfillment of <br />the welfare requirements. , Svandís Svavarsdóttir, Icelandic Minister <br />of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, via NBC.<br />On June 20, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, the Icelandic Minister <br />of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, announced the <br />annual hunt would be postponed to the end of August.<br />I have decided to suspend <br />all whaling operations, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, Icelandic Minister <br />of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, via NBC.<br />'Newsweek' reports that Iceland is one of <br />the few countries that still actively hunts whales. .<br />Between Iceland, Japan and Norway, , approximately 1,000 whales , are killed worldwide every year.<br />According to data from the International <br />Whaling Commission (IWC), around 6,000 to <br />7,000 whales were killed annually prior to 1986. .<br />In 1986, the IWC established an <br />international ban on whaling. .<br />Data from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation <br />shows that Japan, Norway and Iceland have <br />killed nearly 40,000 large whales since 1986.<br />Data from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation <br />shows that Japan, Norway and Iceland have <br />killed nearly 40,000 large whales since 1986.<br />Aboriginal communities in the Faroe Islands, <br />Greenland, Siberia, Bequia Island and <br />Alaska are still allowed to freely hunt whales
