Japan Begins Hunt for 60 Whales [View All]

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/tech/2005/sep/09/090903696.html

TOKYO (AP) - Japanese whaling ships returned to port Friday with the first three of 60 whales they plan to catch along the nation's northern coast as they began the season's research program that opponents criticize as commercial whaling.

The hunt is approved by the International Whaling Commission and Japanese whalers are allowed to catch up to 60 minke whales along the coast of Kushiro on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, said Fisheries Agency spokesman Ryoichi Nakamura.

Agency officials plan to study the whale's feeding patterns and its impact on fish stocks and report their findings to the IWC. The hunt ends on Oct. 31.

The IWC banned commercial whaling in 1986 to protect the endangered mammals, but approved restricted hauls for research program a year later.

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