Commercial whaling causes severe suffering to highly sentient, social animals and has driven multiple species to the brink of extinction — making it one of the most serious animal welfare issues in marine environments.
The suffering involved in whaling is severe and well-documented. Explosive harpoons often fail to cause immediate death; whales may be conscious and suffering for many minutes. Sperm whales, minke whales, and fin whales are all neurologically complex animals with clear social bonds and long-term memory. The killing method is inherently cruel and cannot be rendered humane at scale. Beyond direct killing, whaling disrupts social groups, with calves potentially losing mothers or vice versa.