Greenland-Free Whale meat for everyone.

GREENLAND-FREE WHALE MEAT FOR EVERYONE.

The first Greenlandic whale has been caught after Greenland received its first quota last year since total protection of the species began in 1932

For the first time in 36 years a Greenlandic whale has been hunted in Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland, after it received special permission to hunt just one in 1973 as part of the town’s 200 year anniversary.

The latest whale will be processed and its meat and blubber handed out as gifts to members of the community on 21 June to celebrate the introduction of self-rule to Greenland, currently a home rule country within the greater Kingdom of Denmark.

Qeqertarsuaq was historically a whale hunting town, specialising in the hunting of the Greenlandic whale, in the 1800s and 1900s.

The recent whale haul weighed in at 40 tonnes and was more than 14 metres in length.

Greenland recently received a quota from the International Whaling Commission for two Greenlandic whales per year for the period 2008-2012, with allowances being made to carry quotas forward from one year to the next. As no whales were hunted in 2008, the quota for this year is four.

The first two whales caught are the property of the government, including the bones, which has decided that biologists will receive sample tissues, whalebones and eyes for research purposes.

The government have also covered the expenses involved in hunting the whale, according to Amalie Jessen, head of the department for hunting and fishing.

A fully grown Greenland whale can reach 15-18 metres in length, with the female of the species being the largest. The weight of the whales tends to vary between 44-58 tonnes, depending on the time of year and the thickness of the blubber.

The Greenlandic whale reaches sexual maturity at fifteen years old, averaging one birth every four years.

This article originally appeared on Greenland’s official website Sermitsiaq. For more Greenlandic news in English, please visit: www.sermitsiaq.gl.