The Icelandic government is a perfect example of anti-environmental leftists.  This is why priorities are so important.  It's not just whether people support or oppose certain ideas or actions, it's just as important what priority people give to a certain issue.  Those who don't prioritize the environment are not environmentalists, even if they support good environmental goals.

Minke populations in the Northeast Atlantic are estimated to be around 103,000 (95% confidence interval, IWC Scientific Committee 2008). Norway is setting annual quotas around 1000.

For a 116,362 population size assuming 3% MSYR, MSY is 1,388. With 2% MSYR, MSY is reduced to 936.

It appears that Minke are being harvested at close to MSY. Rather than pursuing a harmful ban on whaling, whale populations would benefit from increased populations studies, and agreements between nations setting quotas at MEY.

Harpoons away!  Blood in the water!  Yay humanity!

Regardless of environmental ethics, whatever exactly they may be, there is NOTHING justifiable about the slaughter of cetaceans.

With all the pollution run off from the U.S. into the Oceans and the rest of the world, why not just kill them quick. Would be more merciful than the slow death they are going to experience. We also kill more whales with Navy sonar than this hunt will. From a country that destroys the habitat of scores of creatures and whole deciduous mountain regions who are we to lecture.

Harpoon or red tide, what's the difference, they are still dead.

Alas, you might be right, Pompey.  All the garbage floating around in all the oceans is a horrible artefact of our civilization.

To our end than our start need to try and keep as much of our bioshpere as possible from following us into the great beyond.  That's zen, it goes beyond simple human reasoning.  Auuum.

and while we are in this realm, like a bird throuth the air and a fish through the water...