Recent Developments in Brief

The year 2007 marked the end of a controversial scientific whaling program from 2003-2007 and a brief resumption of commercial minke and fin whaling in autumn 2006. In 2008, the Minister of Fisheries issued permits for the hunt of a limited number of Minke whales for domestic consumption. By the end of 2008, the fin whale meat from the hunt in 2006 could lastly be sold to Japan, after having been in the freezer since and stuck at Japans customs for several months.