Experts claim the slain animal showed all the characteristics of a blue whale, which has been a protected species since 1966
ICELANDIC hunters have been accused of harpooning an endangered blue whale in the first such killing in 50 years.
Harrowing photos showed fisherman from the Hvalur firm dragging the gigantic mammal into a dock on Saturday.
Hvalur has a license to catch fin whales, which are more common, and claimed the captured beast is a hybrid of the two species.
Marine conservation group Hard To Port said they had been tracking the whale until it was killed on the night of July 7.
It claimed the animal showed all the features of a blue whale, including a "darker belly" and "bluish colour".
If these fears are confirmed, it would be the first official blue whale to be harpooned in half a century.
Blue whales have been a protected species since 1966 and less than 25,000 are left in the world's oceans.
Dr Phillip Clapham of the Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle studied images of the whale caught by Hvalur.
He told the Sydney Morning Herald the whale did not have "any characteristics" to suggest it was a hybrid.
Dr Clapham added: "It has all the characteristics of a blue whale, notably the coloration pattern.
"There is almost no possibility that an experienced observer would have misidentified it as anything else at sea."
The blue whale, weighing more than 150 tonnes and measuring as much as 100ft long, have become very rare.
There were once more than 250,000 in existence but their size and blubber made them a popular target for whalers.
They used their body parts to make lucrative products including perfume, cooking oil, soap, candles and even umbrellas.
With the creating of new and deadly fishing technology, the whaling industry exploded in the 1700s, according to Whale Facts.
In 1986, several countries signed up to the an agreement drawn up by the International Whaling Commission to stop all whaling activities.
Kristjan Loftsson, the managing director of Hvalur, said he was certain it was not a blue whale.
He also said it would be impossible for his crews to tell the difference between fin whales and hybrids in the water.
Nicole Beynon of Humane Society Inernational Australia said: "Killing a blue whale is unforgivable.
"This should be a final wake-up call to Iceland that commercial whaling does not belong in the 21st century."
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