Whale meeting condemns Japan hunt

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Source: BBC

Whale meeting condemns Japan hunt
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website, Anchorage, Alaska

The International Whaling Commission's annual meeting has passed a resolution condemning Japan's scientific hunting programme in the Antarctic.

Japan catches nearly 1,000 whales there each year in the name of research.

After an acrimonious debate, a large number of countries refused to vote, saying the resolution was illegitimate.

There was, however, consensus support for a motion censuring environmental groups which try to hinder Japan's Antarctic programme.

Both Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have tried to block the programme in recent years, culminating in a damaging collision between Japanese and Sea Shepherd vessels in the recent Antarctic season for which each party blames the other.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6706805.stm