Japan blames reduced whale catch on environmentalists

Updated April 15, 2008 15:31:26

Japan has blamed its failure to meet this year's whale catch target on interference from environmental protestors. [ABC]

Japan says the failure of its whaling fleet to net little more than half its target catch this year is "regrettable".

The main whaling ship, the Nisshin Maru, docked in the capital Tokyo this morning.

Ahead of its arrival, officials confirmed the hunt had failed to catch the quota of 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales in the Southern Ocean.

In the end they managed to catch just 551 minke whales, and have blamed interference from the environmental protest groups Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

"It is truly regrettable that we could not carry out the project as planned," Agriculture Vice Minister Toshiro Shirasu said.

He says Japan plans to continue its annual hunt, which the government says is necessary for scientific research purposes.

A Greenpeace spokesman, Junichi Sato, says conservationists reject Japan's need to carry out the hunt, and believe the whales are ultimately destined to be eaten as food.

"They say that one reason for the lower catch is that they didn't see so many whales," he said.

"That is a good reason why they should not conduct lethal research."

This year's protests saw Sea Shepherd activists board a factory ship, sparking a two-day stand-off.

Japan says it wants to pursue criminal charges against environmentalists involved in the protests.