The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is the second-largest animal on Earth and classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Commercial whaling by Iceland and Japan, combined with ship strikes, continues to cause preventable deaths in this slowly recovering species.
Icelandic whaling methods use explosive penthrite grenades fired from harpoon cannons. The intended time-to-death is under a minute, but IWC data shows that TTD frequently exceeds several minutes in larger animals, during which whales experience severe pain and drowning. Ship strikes cause traumatic blunt force injury and propeller lacerations that cause slow death over hours. The welfare case against commercial whaling is among the strongest in animal welfare: death is neither instantaneous nor humane, and the whales cannot be rendered insensible before killing using any currently available method. Recovery of fin whale populations requires an end to commercial hunting and implementation of ship speed restrictions in key habitats.