Iceland is getting a cold shoulder from the United States and European Union, as well as several other countries, which have delivered a strong appeal to the Nordic island nation, criticizing it over a recent uptick in whaling and urging compliance with an international ban on the commercial hunting of whales.

In a joint move with Brazil, Mexico, Israel, Australia and New Zealand, the European Commission -- the executive body for the E.U. -- said its ambassador in Reykjavik delivered a diplomatic demarche, a formal message of protest, that noted Iceland's latest decision to go forward with more whaling is harming efforts to save endangered species the great water mammal, said a report by Reuters.

The protest called upon Iceland "to respect the IWC's (International Whaling Commission) global moratorium and end its commercial whaling and international trade in whale products," read the text. The document also urged Iceland it to cease trading whale meat, oil and other material.

Iceland has announced, similar to Japan, that its whaling policy based on a need for scientific research and reflects effective management of marine resources, Reuters said.

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, "Iceland initially conducted a 'scientific' whaling program. Then, in 1992, it withdrew from the IWC. When Iceland re-joined in 2004, it included a clause in its re-entry that spoke out in objection to the whaling moratorium ... In 2006, Iceland resumed commercial whaling, targeting minke and fin whales. In 2010 alone, Icelandic whalers killed 148 endangered fin whales and 60 minke whales."

The Ecologist further reports that "since Iceland first allowed whale hunts to resume in 2003, its whalers have killed nearly 1,000 whales, including 414 endangered fin whales and 530 minke whales, by exploiting controversial loopholes to evade the commercial whaling ban ... In 2002, it rejoined [the IWC] with a reservation to the moratorium, which is not legally recognized by many nations. It resumed so-called 'scientific whaling' in 2003 and commercial whaling [including that of fin whales] under its reservation in 2006 ... this makes Iceland the only country in the world to carry out commercial hunting of fin whales ... It has increased its whaling quotas in recent years and, in December 2013, announced a five-year block quota that could result in the killing of nearly 2,000 whales."

Located at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, Iceland is home to about 325,000 people and applied to join the E.U. five years ago after its economy was devastated by the global banking crisis.

So far, that membership application has been delayed by E.U. leaders who have announced they don't plan on expanding the bloc of 28 nations for at least a few years more.

Even though government sanctions were not threatened, the E.U. envoy warned Iceland that, unless it rethinks its whaling policies, the whaling commission could hurt its economy nonetheless, through boycotts supported by the international voting community.

"Public opinion in the countries that are Iceland's main trading partners is very much against the practice of whaling," the commission said. "This is evidenced by the public pressure put on companies around the world to boycott Icelandic goods, not to mention the pressure that voters and various organizations put on their politicians, encouraging them to send Iceland an increasingly stronger message."