Minke whales are caught as bycatch in Nordic fishing operations and as targets of commercial whaling. The welfare implications of both are significant and largely unaddressed.
Minke whale welfare in commercial hunting and bycatch situations involves unavoidable suffering. Drowning in fishing nets causes acute distress over minutes. Commercial hunting, even with optimised equipment and trained gunners, cannot guarantee instantaneous death for animals moving unpredictably in open ocean. The welfare argument for ending commercial whaling is compelling regardless of conservation status, and bycatch mitigation measures are needed in fisheries operating in whale habitats.