How Aquaman and Björk Helped Activists Save 185 Endangered Fin Whales in Iceland

The Situation

In the summer of 2023, Grounded was alerted to a planned whale hunt in Iceland. Approximately 209 fin whales, an endangered species, were at risk of being slaughtered by Hvalur, the last remaining whale hunting operation in the country. The significance of this issue extended beyond animal rights; fin whales also play a crucial role in carbon sequestration. Each fin whale stores roughly 33 tons of carbon in their body while providing $2 million worth of overall carbon sequestration and ecosystem services over the course of their lifetime.

Our Approach

Our strategy to combat this threat was multifaceted, focusing on immediate action and long-term change. We began by providing a $25,000 grant to Keystone Species Alliance, enabling them to hire legal assistance to challenge Hvalur under Iceland’s Animal Welfare Act. Our efforts extended to rallying public support through influencer engagement in collaboration with filmmaker-activists Micah Green and Anahita Babaei (‘The Last Whaling Station’). Together, we organized a Twitterstorm and celebrity sign-on letter in partnership with local activists, endorsed by celebrities including Jason Mamoa and Björk, appealing to Iceland’s Minister for Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries and Iceland’s Minister of Culture.

Jason Momoa calls for Iceland to uphold the ban on fin whale hunting.

Results

The combination of legal and public pressure yielded significant results. Most importantly, 185 fin whales were saved — a $370,000,000 ROI against our initial $25,000 grant, based on the IMF’s valuation of carbon sequestration and ecosystem services per whale.

Keystone Species Alliance quickly secured a temporary injunction against Hvalur, halting the whale hunt. Iceland’s Expert Advisory Board on Animal Welfare released a report which found commercial whale killing to be in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. Following this, the Icelandic Minister for Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries announced a suspension of fin whale hunting for the remainder of the season and established new regulations on fin whale hunting. Iceland’s legislature has also introduced a bill to ban the practice. As of January 2024, Hvalur’s whaling license has now expired and no Icelandic companies have submitted new applications for whaling permits.

Whales are not only beautiful sentient beings but are also vital for ocean health and sustenance. When we have key players advocate for their voice, the message of their cultural significance and scientific importance ripples through global communities.

Biodiversity loss is an urgent matter. We depend on the web of life to secure a livable planet for the future. If we can get more people with public platforms to speak about this in an urgent manner and then translate the science in a way that engages the audience, big changes in how we relate to nature will occur. We all have a responsibility to speak for Nature — sometimes it takes just one key player to jumpstart that ripple effect.

Vera Urtaza Reyes, Keystone Species Alliance

What We Learned

This case study reaffirms the power of strategic influencer engagement coupled with pressure by local activists in driving rapid, impactful outcomes. We also learned that quantifying the value of keystone species protections in terms of ecosystem services and carbon sequestration can be an effective persuasion point in some communications with policymakers — and a compelling ROI metric to guide our own future grantmaking and campaigns.