Whalers

I guess I live in a country that kills whales.
This is the article on BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6074230.stm



Iceland 'breaks ban on whaling'

The European Commission has urged Iceland to reconsiderIceland has reportedly broken a 21-year-old international ban on commercial whaling by killing a fin whale - an endangered species.
"One fin whale was caught today and will be landed tomorrow," a whalers' spokesman told Reuters news agency.
The move follows the country's announcement that it planned to resume commercial hunting of whales.
Norway is the only other nation that allows commercial whaling. Japan says it hunts for scientific research.
The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling under a moratorium imposed in 1985.
Iceland is a member of the IWC, having rejoined in 2002 after a 10-year absence.
Tourism blow
But in a statement on Tuesday, Iceland's fisheries ministry announced its new plans.
Whaling vessels would take nine fin whales and 30 minke whales each year, the ministry said, adding that catches would remain within sustainable limits.

Guide to whale species

Fin whales are listed as an endangered species by the World Conservation Union, but Iceland maintains numbers are high enough to permit hunting.
Rune Froevik, spokesman from a Norway-based group representing the interests of Arctic fishing communities, said the whale that had been caught by an Icelandic vessel was about 65-70 ft (20m) long.
The announcement has angered conservation groups and anti-whaling nations, with some talking of a legal challenge.
It has also had an effect on the country's tourism industry, with cancellations reported by whale-watching companies.
"We have received several e-mails from people saying they have decided not to visit Iceland as long as Iceland is conducting whaling," Thorunn Harvardottir, who runs a whale-watching company, told French news agency AFP.
The European Commission has urged Iceland to reconsider its decision.