Is whale hunting illegal?

Quick Answer

Commercial whale hunting is illegal for the vast majority of countries worldwide, thanks to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium that took effect in 1986. However, whale hunting is not universally banned. Norway and Iceland hunt whales under formal objections to the moratorium, and Japan resumed commercial whaling in 2019 after withdrawing from the IWC entirely. Additionally, certain indigenous communities are granted subsistence whaling quotas. In the United States, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act make it illegal to hunt, harass, or kill whales. The legal landscape around whaling is complex, varying significantly by country and by the species involved. Learn more about how these laws protect species like the blue whale and other threatened cetaceans.

What You Need to Know

The IWC Moratorium: The Global Ban on Commercial Whaling

The International Whaling Commission was established in 1946 under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. Its original purpose was to manage whale stocks for the whaling industry, but as whale populations plummeted throughout the 20th century, the organization shifted toward conservation.

In 1982, the IWC voted to impose a moratorium on all commercial whaling, which went into effect during the 1985–86 season. This moratorium remains the cornerstone of international whale protection today. Under its terms, member nations are prohibited from killing whales for commercial profit.

The moratorium was a turning point. Before it was enacted, centuries of industrial whaling had decimated populations of humpback whales, fin whales, right whales, and blue whales. Some species had been reduced to less than 1% of their pre-whaling numbers. Since the ban, several populations have shown remarkable recovery—though many remain far below historical levels. You can read more about the current status of whale populations in our FAQ on are whales endangered.

Countries That Still Hunt Whales

Despite the moratorium, three nations continue to conduct whale hunts on a significant scale:

• Norway lodged a formal objection to the moratorium in 1982, which under international law means the ban is not legally binding on that country. Norway hunts minke whales in the North Atlantic and has set its own annual quotas, sometimes exceeding 1,000 animals per year, though actual catches have typically been lower.

• Iceland also lodged an objection and resumed commercial whaling in 2006 after a brief pause. Iceland has targeted both minke whales and fin whales, though in recent years political and economic pressures have reduced its hunts. In 2024, Iceland imposed stricter welfare conditions that temporarily halted its fin whale hunt.

• Japan conducted whaling under a scientific research permit loophole in the IWC rules from 1987 to 2018, a practice widely criticized by conservation groups and other nations as commercial whaling in disguise. In 2019, Japan formally withdrew from the IWC and resumed openly commercial whaling in its own coastal and territorial waters, targeting minke, Bryde’s, and sei whales.

Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling

The IWC recognizes that certain indigenous communities have deep cultural and nutritional ties to whale hunting that predate the modern whaling industry by thousands of years. Under the Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling provisions, the IWC sets catch limits for these communities, separate from the commercial moratorium.

Approved indigenous hunts include:

• Inupiat and Yupik communities in Alaska, who hunt bowhead whales
• Chukotka natives in Russia, who hunt gray whales and bowhead whales
• Inuit communities in Greenland (Denmark), who hunt minke, fin, bowhead, and humpback whales
• Bequia islanders in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who are allocated a small humpback whale quota

These hunts are regulated with strict quotas designed to ensure they do not threaten the long-term survival of the targeted populations. The meat and products from aboriginal hunts cannot be sold commercially.

U.S. Laws Protecting Whales

In the United States, whale hunting is illegal under multiple overlapping federal laws. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972 prohibits the take—defined as hunting, killing, capturing, or harassing—of any marine mammal in U.S. waters, with limited exceptions for indigenous subsistence and scientific research. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 provides additional protections for whale species listed as threatened or endangered, including the right whale, blue whale, fin whale, sperm whale, and several others.

Violating these laws can carry severe penalties, including fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for up to one year per offense under the MMPA, with even steeper penalties for ESA violations.

Other Threats Beyond Hunting

While the moratorium has dramatically reduced the number of whales killed by humans each year, whale hunting is not the only threat to whale survival. Modern threats include:

• Ship strikes, which are a leading cause of death for right whales and other coastal species
• Entanglement in fishing gear, affecting hundreds of whales annually
• Ocean noise pollution, which disrupts whale communication and behavior
• Climate change, which alters whale habitat and prey availability
• Plastic and chemical pollution that accumulates in whale tissue over their long lifespans

Understanding whether whale hunting is illegal is important, but conserving whale populations in the 21st century requires addressing these broader ecological challenges as well. Explore our page on are whales going extinct for more on the full scope of threats.

Key Takeaways

• Commercial whale hunting is banned under the IWC moratorium of 1986 for all member nations, but the ban is not universal.
• Three countries still hunt whales commercially: Norway and Iceland through formal objections to the moratorium, and Japan after withdrawing from the IWC in 2019.
• Indigenous subsistence whaling is permitted under IWC-approved quotas for communities in Alaska, Russia, Greenland, and the Caribbean.
• U.S. federal law makes it illegal to hunt or harm any whale under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.
• Despite reduced hunting, whales still face serious threats from ship strikes, fishing gear entanglement, climate change, and pollution.
• The moratorium has contributed to meaningful population recoveries for some species, but others—like the North Atlantic right whale—remain critically endangered with fewer than 350 individuals remaining.

For more on which species are most at risk, see our FAQ on what whales are endangered.