A whaler behind the controversial export of fin whale meat from Iceland to Japan defended the trade Thursday and expressed hope that it will be the start of business between the two nations.
Kristjan Loftsson, chief executive officer of Icelandic whaling company Hvalur, confirmed 80 tons of fin whale meat had been exported to Japan from Iceland along with 5 tons of minke whale meat from Norway.
It is the first time whale meat has been exported from Iceland and Norway to Japan since the early 1990s, he said.
The export resumption has drawn criticism from environmentalists who claim the trade challenges the authority of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.