Japanese whalers raise stakes by targeting vulnerable humpbacks

[Foxy Brown]

The Japanese whaling fleet set sail yesterday in defiance of international condemnation with plans to land what could be the biggest catch of minke and humpback whales since the 1960s.

As it has for more than two decades, the Japanese Government referred to the expedition as “scientific”. It is a description that infuriates anti-whaling activists. Whale meat harvested on the expeditions is sold on to the Japanese market and the profits used to fund “future research”.