Minke whales face welfare threats from ongoing commercial whaling in Norway and Japan, bycatch in fishing gear, and ship strikes in busy shipping lanes.
Minke whale welfare in commercial whaling is a significant concern. Explosive grenade harpoons cause immediate death in an estimated 50-80% of whales harpooned; the remainder take minutes to hours to die from blood loss, drowning, or secondary killing. The suffering of whales that are not immediately killed represents a major welfare concern that the Norwegian whaling industry contests but animal welfare scientists consistently identify as unacceptable. The welfare impact of each non-immediately-killed whale includes acute pain from harpoon injury, fear responses, and the prolonged stress of dying. Bycatch drowning deaths in fishing nets cause distress as conscious whales cannot reach the surface to breathe.