The haul from Japan’s whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean was a record low this year, a government minister said, blaming unforgivable sabotage” by activists.
The hunt netted 103 Antarctic minke whales, less than half its tally last year and no fin whales, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said, adding it was the lowest total since research whaling” began in 1987, AFP reports.
The fleet, which was again harassed by environmentalist group Sea Shepherd, is due to arrive back in Japan between Friday and Sunday, Hayashi said.
During the 48-day-long whaling expedition, campaigners disrupted the hunt four times and the Japanese ships spent 21 days avoiding their vessels, the Fisheries Agency said.
Sea Shepherd committed unforgivable sabotage,” Hayashi said, according to Kyodo News, including a collision with a whaling vessel as it was being refueled.
We will seek more support from other countries to conduct research whaling in a stable manner,” the minister said.
Japan’s annual whale hunt has long drawn criticism from activists and foreign governments but Tokyo defends the practice saying eating whale is part of the country’s culinary traditions.
Japan’s whaling fleet left port in December aiming to catch about 1,000 whales.
2013 The Standard, The Standard Newspapers Publishing Ltd.