Breaking a moratorium on whaling, Iceland slaughtered a fin whale Saturday for the first time in twenty-one years, Reuters reports. Bypassing the moratorium imposed in 1985 by the International Whaling Commission, Iceland joins Norway as the only other nation hunting whales for food purposes.

While both Iceland and Japan have hunted whales under the pretense of research for several years, the move to hunt whales for their commercial value is an even bolder, more contentious decision.

Much of the debate between whaling countries and the International Whaling Commission surrounds questions regarding the stability of whale populations such as the Blue whale, driven to near extinction by whaling. The World Conservation Union still lists fin whales among endangered species on their “Red List”, despite claims by some that their populations have reached a stable number.

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