Humans have hunted whales for thousands of years, but in the 18th and 19th centuries whaling became an important industry, due to high demand for whale oil. Even after industrialisation, whaling carried on at unsustainable levels and by the mid-twentieth century whale populations had severely declined. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established in 1946 to ensure the conservation of whales and to oversee the development of the whaling industry. In 1986, the IWC imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling to prevent the extinction of endangered whale species. As a result of the ban, whale stocks have recovered and thus some countries advocate the lifting of restrictions. Using loopholes in the moratorium, Japan, Norway and Iceland currently engage in commercial whaling and vigorously defend the practice as part of their cultural heritage. Anti-whaling activists, however, oppose whaling on ethical grounds. They argue that whales remain vulnerable, and that whales’ intelligence gives them intrinsic value. So intense is the whaling debate that the IWC, which requires a 75% vote to overturn the ban, has reached a stalemate. Even within nations backing a return to commercial whaling the issue is divisive. Not only has demand for whale meat declined, whale-watching has become a popular tourist activity, and an end to restrictions could threaten this profitable industry.