Japan to hunt endangered whales

Japan will hunt endangered sei whales for the first time in a quarter of a century during three month hunt in the northwest Pacific when they plan to kill a total of 260 whales.

The ships plan to catch 150 minke, 50 Bryde’s and 10 sperm whales. The whalers will also hunt 50 sei whales - a species that has remained untouched for the past 26 years.

The fleet’s five vessels - scheduled to set sail tomorrow from their home ports in eastern and southern Japan - will return by September 23, said Fisheries Agency official Takanori Nagatomo.

Though the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986 to protect the endangered mammals, it allows Japan a limited catch under a scientific research programme.

Nagatomo said Japan added the sei whale to this year’s hunt after data collected from previous expeditions showed that the sei population had risen from a few thousand to 28,000.

Opponents, including Britain and the US, say the programme is commercial whaling in disguise, because the government sells the whale meat to wholesalers. Most of the meat ends up in the nation’s restaurants.