Order No. 4 on the protection and hunting of large whales.

This Order sets regulations on the protection of large mammals (whales) in the Greenlandic territory. It is in fact prohibited to hunt them in that area and include minke whales, fin whales, Greenland whales, humpback whales and other baleen whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Balaenoptera physalus, Balaena mysticetus, Megaptera novaeangliae and Physeter macrocephalus) which are larger than minke whales and sperm whales. If the catch of herring beater, fin whale, Greenland whale or humpback occurs and their catch is not fit for human consumption due to disease, the Department of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture may consider the catch as a killing, although permissible if under previous authorization. It is prohibited to export or import meat and mattak from large whales for commercial purposes, in accordance to the Convention of 3 March 1973 on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES Convention and CITES).
Permitted period for hunting herring whisks is between 1 April and 31 December. Only fin whales longer than 15.2 meters and humpback whales may be hunted throughout the calendar year.