Whaler watching

The Berlin based organization Hard To Port, aims to put an end to commercial whaling in Iceland by documenting its brutal hunting methods. One of the reasons for founding Hard to Port was the impending hunt of 154 fin whales in the summer of 2014. On this occasion, the activists peacefully occupied a whaling ship. Fin whales feature on the IUCN list of endangered species.

Commercial whaling has been banned since a moratorium came into force in 1986. That same year, in response to Iceland's decision continue with the practise, protesters sunk two whaling vessels in the port of Reykjavik. Today, Iceland's hunt of the large marine mammals continues. The meat of minke whales ends up in local restaurants, while that of fin whales is exported.

After a 17-year break, Iceland restarted its current whaling program in 2006. Its terms allow the annual slaughter of 229 minke whales in stipulated coastal waters - right next to a whale sanctuary. But criticism mainly relates to the sanctioned hunt of 154 fin whales per year. The species was brought to the brink of extinction by commercial fishing.

One of Iceland's largest fishing companies is behind the hunt for the second largest animal on earth (after the blue whale). But because there is no market for fin whale in Iceland, the flesh of the animals is shipped to Japan - regardless of the fact that trade in whale products is banned under the CITES treaty.

Hard to Port describes its work as "whaler watching". The goal is to make Icelandic whaling more transparent and to provide access to sensitive data, such as animal suffering. Hard to Port collects data and documents trapping methods in order to change public perception. In 2013, 60 percent of the Icelandic population didn't see the problem with whaling.

Modern technology such as apps to locate hunting ships is used to document the whaling. Using collected speed data it was even possible to detect whether a ship has just harpooned a whale. When the ships came back into port, the activists documented the inlet and the further processing of the animals.

In addition to monitoring vessels via smartphone, the activists also used camera drones - a technique they say has been very important for documentation purposes, as it allows them to get close to the whalers and see their fishing methods.

In a bid to escape both international and local criticism, whaling often takes place in secret. Last year, Hard to Port fogged a whaling ship in orange smoke to highlight the issue. The images were widely shared via social media networks and put the problem back in the headlines. Even in the Icelandic press.

An important part of the campaign is talking to people. The biggest local critics are from the whale watching industry. Iceland is considered a whale watching hotspot with 23 species visible in the course of a year. The expertise of these local companies is important for the organization's continued work.