Photographic evidence from campaigners opposed to whaling show a large animal being butchered for export.
Several experts have concluded from these pictures that it's a juvenile male blue, a
species that hasn't been deliberately killed since 1978.
The whaling company involved say they are confident that the animal is a hybrid
between a blue and fin whale.
DNA testing will be needed to confirm the whale's true identity.
Iceland sells almost all of its whale meat to Japan one of a handful of countries
that reject the international consensus to protect whales. However, if this whale
is a blue then this meat can't be legally shipped anywhere.
If it turns out to be a hybrid whale, then it is possible that it could be sold in
Iceland. However, under the international regulations that govern animal trading, it
is the status of the hybrid parents that matter - so if it has blue whale parentage,
the Japanese market would be closed.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44809115
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