Harpooned

Iceland, which quit whaling 14 years ago due to international pressure, killed a minke whale Monday as part of what authorities described as scientific research. Commercial whaling has been outlawed worldwide since 1986 because many whale species are endangered. But Iceland received hunting permits on Friday, primarily to study the whales' impact on fish stocks. About 43,000 minke whales are estimated to live in Icelandic waters, eating 2 million tons of fish and krill every year. Environmentalists fear that Iceland's return to whaling, which will continue after this first kill, will lead to resumed commercial whale hunting.