Iceland vs the IWC and World Opinion Timeline Iceland, a principal whaling nation, has killed at least 35,296 whales since 1883. The following timeline charts Iceland's consistent disregard for whale conservation efforts. 1986 * Ban on Commercial Whaling: After decades of commercial whaling, whale populations crashed, and the International Whaling Commission, the international body governing commercial whaling and providing for the conservation of whale populations, implemented a ban on all commercial whaling. Iceland did not object to this ban, thereby becoming bound by it. In addition to the country's long history of commercial whaling and suspect scientific whaling. * Converts Commercial Whaling Industry to "Scientific" Whaling: Before the commercial ban went into effect, Iceland proposed a program that would allow it to continue whaling through a "scientific" loophole in the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. Immediately after the ban went into effect, Iceland converted its commercial industry to this so-called "scientific" whaling program. 1989 * Iceland Stops Scientific Whaling: Global condemnation leads Iceland to end its scientific whaling program 1992 * Iceland Leaves the IWC: Frustration over the Commission's efforts to protect whale populations prompts Iceland to leave the commission. 2002 * Iceland Illegally Rejoins the IWC: By leaving the IWC, Iceland was cut off from Japan, its primary market for whale products and a member of the IWC. After two failed attempts, Iceland illegally rejoined the IWC in 2002 with a reservation (objection) to the commercial whaling moratorium. The objection exempted Iceland from the whaling ban. * Iceland Restarts "Scientific" Whaling: When Iceland rejoined the IWC in 2002, it stated that it would begin "scientific" whaling immediately and would not hunt whales commercially until 2006. The IWC condemned Iceland's scientific whaling program, and asked Iceland to abandon its plans to start whaling. In complete disregard of the request, Iceland began hunting minke whales the next year through the "scientific" loophole in the Convention. 2003 * Iceland opposed the establishment of a conservation committee in the IWC. 2006 * Iceland Supports the St. Kitts and Nevis Declaration (which attacked the moratorium on commercial whaling and non-governmental whale protection efforts). * Iceland Defies CITES by stating an intent to export one to two tons of whale meat to the Faroe Islands in September 2006, a move similar to an illegal export of whale meat from Norway to the Faroe Islands. * Iceland Starts Commercial Whaling: On Oct. 17, 2006, the Icelandic Fisheries Ministry announced that it would resume commercial whale hunts. Iceland plans on killing 30 minke and nine fin whales by September 2007, while continuing to hunt whales through its "scientific" research program. 2007 * Iceland Ends Commercial Whaling: In August 2007, Iceland announced it would end its commercial whale hunt, giving low market demand and lack of access to the Japanese market for whale meat as reasons for the decision.