REYKJAVIK: Is it a blue whale or not? The slaughter in Iceland of what is claimed was a member of the endangered species has triggered outrage and left experts puzzled about its true identity.
“There has not been a blue whale harpooned by anyone for the last 50 years until this one,” Sea Shepherd, an international non-profit marine conservation movement, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The group, which published photos of the mammal being butchered for export at an Icelandic whaling station on the night of July 7, said the fishermen “posed for photos next to and even on top of the whale in a sign they knew very well this was a rare blue whale.”
But Icelandic experts are not completely certain whether it is indeed the world’s largest leviathan, which the International Whaling Commission has been protecting since 1966.
They’re also not sure if it could be the endangered fin whale, the second largest animal on the planet, which can only be legally hunted in Iceland despite an international moratorium on whaling.
Kristjan Loftsson, CEO of Hvalur hf, the whaling station which slaughtered the animal, said they did so believing it was a fin whale.
Most of the fin whales killed are exported as meat to Japan.
“We see blue whales all the time and identify them by their blowholes...but we leave them alone,” he told AFP.
For Gisli Vikingsson, a scientist at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute in Reyjkavik, the butchered whale’s characteristics are similar to both the blue and fin whale.
“There is a large dorsal side with a small dorsal fin like a fin whale...this explains perhaps why it was hunted as such,” he told AFP, adding its “size and markings on the side are like those of a blue whale.”
He added the whale could even be a hybrid species resulting from cross-breeding between the fin and blue whale, which is a rare phenomenon.
Since 1987, five such animals have been observed in Icelandic waters and they are known to be infertile.
All killed whales in Iceland undergo DNA tests after the hunting season and the results are released during the fall.
However, due to the controversy surrounding this particular case, a test will be done earlier than planned and the results are expected at the end of July.
But Sea Shepherd said the fishing crew which butchered the animal mixed its parts with previously caught fin whales, making “it difficult or impossible to locate during potential inspections by the authorities.”
“This shows how inaccurate and imperfect this hunting is and there is no need to continue it,” Sigursteinn Masson, Iceland representative for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, told AFP.
Should the killed whale be confirmed as a hybrid, then things could become even more complicated as there are no laws to protect them.
“Hybrids are much more rarer than the blue whales,” Masson said.
Outrage as Iceland fishermen kill rare whale
Outrage as Iceland fishermen kill rare whale
- The fishermen “posed for photos next to and even on top of the whale in a sign they knew very well this was a rare blue whale.”
‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘Hamnet’ take top honors at Golden Globes
- While the Globes have a tradition of spreading the wealth around, Anderson became just the second filmmaker to ever sweep best film, best director and best screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson’s ragtag revolutionary saga “One Battle After Another” took top honors at Sunday’s 83rd Golden Globes in the comedy category, while Chloe Zhao’s Shakespeare drama “Hamnet” upset “Sinners” to win best film, drama.
“One Battle After Another” won best film, comedy, supporting female actor for Teyana Taylor and best director and best screenplay for Anderson. The director became just the second filmmaker to sweep director, screenplay and film at the Globes. Only Oliver Stone, for “Born on the Fourth of July,” managed the same feat.
Though “Hamnet” won the top award, “Sinners” won for best score and the prize for cinematic and box-office achievement. The win for box office and cinematic achievement, over franchise films like “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” was notable for “Sinners,” a movie that some reports labeled a qualified success on its release.
But “Sinners” ultimately grossed $278 million domestically and $368 million worldwide, making it highest grossing original film in 15 years.
“I just want to thank the audience for showing up,” said Coogler. “It’s means the world.”
Coming off years of scandal and subsequent rehabilitation, the Globes and host Nikki Glaser put on a star-studded ceremony that saw wins for the streaming sensation “KPop Demon Hunters” (best animated film, song), a meta triumph for Seth Rogen’s “The Studio” and an inaugural award for podcasting that went to Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang.”
Many of the Oscar favorites won. Timothee Chalamet won his first Golden Globe, for “Marty Supreme,” after four previous nominations. The 30-year-old is poised to win his first Oscar. Fellow nominees like Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney stood to applaud his win.
“My dad instilled in me a spirit of gratitude growing up: Always be grateful for what you have,” said Chalamet. “It’s allowed me to leave this ceremony in the past empty handed, my head held high, grateful just to be here. I’d be lying if I didn’t say those moments didn’t make this moment that much sweeter.”
Glaser comes out swinging
The Globes, held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, got underway with a pointedly political opening from host Nikki Glaser and an early award for the night’s favorite, “One Battle After Another.” Emceeing the show for the second straight year, Glaser kicked off the show with self-aware satire.
“Yes, the Golden Globes, without a doubt the most important thing happening in the world right now,” she said.
In a winning, rapid-fire opening monologue that landed some punch lines on the usual subjects — the age of Leonardo DiCaprio’s dates, Kevin Hart’s height — Glaser also dove right into some of her most topical material.
For the on-the-block Warner Bros., Glaser started the bidding at $5. Referencing the Epstein files, she suggested best editing should go to the Justice Dept. The “most editing,” however, she suggested deserved to go to Bari Weiss’ new CBS News — a dig at the Paramount Skydance-owned network airing the Globes.
Globes mix glitz and gloom
Political tension and industrywide uncertainty were the prevailing moods heading into Sunday’s awards. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros. Following the fatal shooting of Megan Good in Minneapolis by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, several attendees wore pins reading “Be Good” and “ICE Out.”
The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals.
But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can boost an Oscar campaign.
Jessie Buckley, the Oscar frontrunner, won best female actor in a drama, for her performance in “Hamnet.” In recent years, the Irish actor has had one of the fastest-ascending careers in film and theater. “I love what I do and I love being part of this industry,” she said.
Rose Byrne won best female actor in a comedy or musical for her performance in the not especially funny A24 indie “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”
Best actor in a drama went to Wagner Moura, the Brazilian star of “The Secret Agent.” The period political thriller also won best international film.
I think if trauma can be passed along generations, values can do,” Moura said. “So this to the ones who are sticking with their values in difficult moments.”
Other winners Sunday included the supporting actor frontrunner, Stellan Skarsgård who won for the Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value.” It was the first major Hollywood movie award for the 74-year-old, a respected veteran actor who drew a standing ovation.
“I was not prepared for this because I, of course, thought I was too old,” said Skarsgård.
‘The Studio’ and ‘Adolesence’ win
In the television awards, “The Pitt” took best drama series, while Noah Wyle won, too, brushing past his former “ER”-star Clooney on the way to the stage. Netflix’s “Adolescence” won four awards: best limited series, and acting awards for Erin Doherty, Stephen Graham and 16-year-old Owen Cooper.
Other winners included Rhea Seehorn for “Pluribus” and Jean Smart for “Hacks.”
But the most comically poignant award of the night went to “The Studio,” the best comedy series winner. Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satirememorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: “I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.”) Rogen also won best male actor in a comedy.
“This is so weird,” Rogen said, chuckling. “We just pretended to do this. And now it’s happening.”
