Good. There is little market demand for whale meat though the Japanese right insists on the annual hunt so they can relive the bad old times. Over time this is going to become too costly in terms of money and reputation for the Japanese though we're not there yet.
Japan's controversial whaling fleet returns to port this week with a smaller-than-expected haul, blaming harassment from militant activists in the Antarctic, the fisheries agency said.
On its five-month mission, the six-ship flotilla caught 680 whales including 679 minke and just one fin whale -- well below a planned total haul of between 765 and 935 of the giant mammals, the agency said.
"It was mainly because of the harassment by the Sea Shepherds," said Shigeki Takaya, an official with the agency's whaling division.
