Return of the whale hunters.

Despite an outcry from animal-rights groups, Iceland is hunting whales for research. The nation's Marine Research Institute, a government agency, plans to oversee the hunting of 200 minke whales over two years. Scientists plan to analyze the content of the whales' stomachs and determine how much fish a typical minke whale eats. They believe the 43,000 whales living near Iceland eat up to 2 million tons Of fish each year. A more precise figure, the government says, will help it better manage Iceland's precious fish stocks. Animal-rights groups are rallying opposition, trying to persuade Icelanders that killing whales (which are mammals) is not the same as killing cod. Despite the controversy, Iceland's actions fall within international law. The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986, but exempted whaling for scientific reasons and for subsistence. Several countries and native peoples hunt whales, including the Alaskan Inuit. Japan, hunting under the research banner, is killing 644 whales this year and selling the meat domestically. Norway, which refused to go along with the ban, is the only country that admits to hunting whales commercially.