This year, 150 whales were slaughtered in the Iceland whale hunts which continue to spite protests and controversy. The numbers for this year's whaling season surpasses the number of kills from the previous year and included 94 fin whales which are still considered endangered by many conservationists around the world. Common minke whales were also targeted for the slaughter.

The Icelandic government defends the hunt by claiming that they are hunting from “abundant stocks” and justifying the kills by referring to their rightful use of “living marine resources” with little regard for the whales. They still refuse to comply with the international ban on whaling to despite outrage from around the world.

Reaching up to 79 feet in length, Fin whales are one of the largest whales in the world, coming in second only to the blue whale. They can be found in waters around the world from polar seas to tropical waters where they migrate to and from around the year. Their whale songs, or vocalizations, are among the lowest frequency sounds made by any known animal on earth along with the songs of the giant blue whale. Fin whales are baleen whales, which means that they are filter feedings, living off of the tiny nutrients and plankton found in the waters around them.

Fin whales are currently listed on the IUCN's (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) list of endangered species with fewer than 3000 left in the world. But to spite these small numbers, Iceland continues to be defiant and insist on their right to continue their slaughter and on going war on whales. 

Greenpeace and other conservation and animal rights groups have been working to put pressure on the government of Iceland to convince them to catch up to the rest of the world and protect these magnificent animals from the brutal slaughters. Iceland and Japan are two of the only nations left that engage in commercial whaling to spite the outrage of the international community. The whales are harassed and terrorized before they are brutally slaughtered and these graceful, intelligent creatures are helpless to defend themselves against the whaling vessels.

Greenpeace has a current campaign to encourage increased tourism to Iceland if the current government will put an end to these cruel and senseless whale hunts. You can read more about their current campaign to end Iceland's whale hunts on the Greenpeace website. There are also several petitions circulating to put pressure on Iceland's government to save the whales and end the yearly whale hunt.