Whales in Iceland

Home and Summer Feeding Grounds 

Icelandic waters are home for a variety of whales, although many of them only spend the summer months there. About 45% of the currently known whale species have their distribution in European waters and thereof about 23 species occur in the waters around Iceland. Some of them are just travelling through and are only seen occasionally. But for most of the whales, Iceland presents good feeding grounds, where they spend the entire summer in the search of food. The high productivity of the North Atlantic and the structure of the coastal areas offer a variety of habitats, suitable for many species with different requirements.