Iceland Fisheries Minister Rebuked Over 2023 Whaling Ban.

The article focuses on Iceland's Fisheries Minister Svandis Svavarsdottir being rebuked by the parliamentary Ombudsman, Skuli Magnusson, for imposing a sudden whaling ban in June that halted most of the season's hunt without legal basis. The ban, motivated by animal-welfare concerns, was deemed disproportionate and expired at the end of August after government agreement. Iceland is one of three countries, alongside Norway and Japan, to permit commercial whaling in recent years. Svavarsdottir has called the existing 1949 whaling law obsolete and aims to modernize it, rejecting calls for her resignation. Ombudsman rulings hold significant influence in Iceland, as seen in a recent ministerial resignation over regulatory violations.