Minke whales are the most abundant large whales but remain subject to commercial and scientific whaling, raising significant welfare concerns about slaughter methods.
The welfare of whales killed by harpoon is deeply problematic. Studies show that a significant proportion of harpooned whales do not die instantly and may experience prolonged suffering before death. Despite improvements in harpoon technology, achieving rapid and reliable death in large, moving, aquatic animals remains extremely difficult. From a welfare perspective, it is difficult to kill whales humanely. This makes commercial whaling ethically contentious beyond conservation concerns, even for species with stable populations.