Japan fleet misses whaling target (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Japan's whaling fleet has failed to catch its quota, after being disrupted by clashes with anti-hunting activists.

The fisheries agency said the fleet caught 60% of the minke whales they had planned - 551 from a target of 850.

The ships, which were followed around the Antarctic by activists, are due to return to port in the next few days.

The BBC's Chris Hogg, in Tokyo, said it was the first time in 20 years that protests had prevented the whalers from reaching their targets.

Japan's fleet set sail for the Antarctic last November. But officials said they lost 31 days of hunting as a result of the protests.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7345915.stm

DAMN! Now all that valuable "research" is going to fall behind schedule! What a tragedy!