"Iceland's fishing industry is essentially an export economy, " commented Sue Fisher, whaling campaigner for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).
The WDCS says one problem is the expansion of oil and gas exploration into the deep seas and the resulting growth in seismic testing to find fossil fuel deposits.
The WDCS says the frequency ranges of some noise sources of human origin may be blotting out other, biologically important sounds, preventing mothers and calves from staying in touch and masking sound cues for predators and their prey.