Iceland says may revoke whaling extension

By Kristin Bragadottir

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's new government said on Tuesday it might revoke a five-year extension to whaling of fin and minke whales passed just last week by its predecessor.

Iceland ended a 20-year ban on commercial whaling in August 2006, issuing quotas that ran through August 2007. After a temporary halt, the country resumed whaling in May last year, despite protests by environmentalists.

As one of its last acts before it resigned over an economic crisis, the center-right administration of Prime Minister Geir Haarde announced last week Iceland would allow whaling of fin and minke whales for another five years.

Finance Minister Steingrimur Sigfusson, who is also fisheries minister, told a news conference on Tuesday: "We agreed in a government meeting this morning to send a formal warning out to those with vested interests in whaling, saying that the recent decision of the ex-minister of fisheries about increasing the whaling quota for the next five years is now being reconsidered."

"We intend to make a policy statement about this issue in a few days."

Many countries and environmental groups oppose whaling, saying stocks are low after decades of over-hunting that only ended with the 1986 moratorium by the International Whaling Commission.

Icelandic supporters of whaling have said they seek to cultivate tradition in a responsible way while conservationists have argued that the whale-watching industry is equally, if not more, lucrative than hunting the mammals.

An internet poll published on the website of the Morgunbladid daily on Tuesday showed that 67.2 percent of the respondents said they were in favor of professional whaling while 41.1 percent said they thought the practice harmed Iceland's reputation.

(Writing by Kim McLaughlin; editing by Ralph Boulton)