Whale hunting is internationally prohibited by law since 1986. Nevertheless some countries like Norway, Japan and the States keep on with the extermination of hundreds of individuals every year, hiding behind the flag of scientific research.
It is a flourishing commerce. Modern whalers are very safe and the “researchers” just track whales through their sonar and then kill them with explosive harpoons that disintegrate in the animal’s body. A compressed air pipe is connected to the harpoon, pumping air in the whale’s body to make it float in order to immediately start the workmanship.