Iceland’s government gave the green light to resume whaling on Friday under strict conditions after suspending it for more than two months in the name of animal welfare, AFP reported.

“Whaling may resume tomorrow,” the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries said in a statement to AFP on Thursday.

The decision was widely criticized by animal rights groups, which had hoped to end the controversial practice once the whaling ban ends in June.

“This decision is devastating and incomprehensible,” Humane Society International said in a statement.

In late June, the government decided to suspend whaling after the publication of a government report which concluded that the hunt did not comply with Icelandic animal welfare laws.

The sole holder of a fishing license in Iceland “will have to comply with the rules introduced by the ministry today”, authorities said.

These rules “include stricter and more detailed requirements for hunting equipment and methods, as well as increased supervision,” it added.

The fishing license of the country’s last active hunting company, Hvalur, expires in 2023. She has already announced that this season will be her last due to falling business profitability.

Iceland is one of the last three countries, along with Norway and Japan, to allow whaling.​​