The whaling season begins officially in Norway on the fourth of April. Norway is among three countries that defy the international moratorium on commercial whaling that was implemented in 1986.
The ban on commercial whaling was implemented by majority vote by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as hunting was threatening several whale species.
Although opposed by countries all over, Norway has continued with the whaling activities since 1993, and has caused over nine thousand five hundred whales to die. The minke whales are the main target, these are a sentient and sociable species of whales, of which 1 286 whales are earmarked to die in the whaling season, which starts from April and runs till August.
World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA) has tried for years along with animal welfare groups in Norway to put an end to the outdated practice, which is not only cruel, but also unnecessary.
The groups have tried spreading awareness and increasing the pressure on the government. Progress has generally not been much, and the Norwegian government has not been very receptive to the idea that whaling should be banned because it is cruel.
However, public support is dwindling in Norway, and the appetite for whale flesh in the country is at an all time low.
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Whaling in Norway is a centuries-long tradition in Northern Norway.