Iceland could end whaling from 2024, a government minister has said.

       Svandís Svavarsdóttir, the country’s fisheries minister, said there was little evidence of an economic benefit to the practice.

       It is estimated thousands of whales have been killed since the International Whaling Commission banned the activity in the 1980s.

       Iceland, as well as Norway and Japan, still allow the hunting of these animals for commerical purposes.

       But the country’s fishing minister has now signalled a move away from the practice.

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       “Why should Iceland take the risk of keeping up whaling, which has not brought any economic gain, in order to sell a product for which there is hardly any demand?” Ms Svavarsdottir wrote in the Morgunbladid newspaper.

       The fisheries minister said there was “little evidence” there was “any economic advantage” to the practice, with only one whale killed in the past three years,

       Current permits are set to run out next year.

       “Whaling needs to be reviewedm” Ms Svavarsdottir tweeted.

       ‘Vanessa Williams-Grey from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation charity said: “This is obviously hugely welcome news that the fisheries minister sees no future for whaling - and not before time.

       “Icelandic whalers have killed hundreds of whales in recent years, despite almost zero domestic demand, and declining interest from tourists and the Japanese market.”

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       She added: “Killing fin whales, an endangered species and the second largest creature on our planet, is nothing short of ecocide, especially given the essential role these gentle giants play in the battle against climate change.”

       The animals capture carbon in their bodies, locking it away for hundreds of years when they die, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).