Japanese whalers call it quits for the year

Japanese whalers are quitting their Antarctic whale hunt this year, having caught only one-fifth of the 850 whales they had targeted, Associated Press is reporting.

They blamed the anti-whaling group, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which has dogged the Japanese whaling vessels, trying to interrupt their activities by throwing paint and rancid butter at them, trying to foul their propellers and more. The society has three ships dedicated to chasing down and harassing whalers.

Capt. Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd crews were the subject of a book and a television documentary series, "Whale Wars."

Whale-lovers cheer their actions, but the Japanese criticized them as terrorists.

"We had no choice but to end (the season) to ensure the safety of lives, assets and our ships," the AP story quotes Japanese Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano as saying.

The AP also reported that "the whale hunts, which Japan says are for scientific purposes, are allowed by the International Whaling Commission as an exception to the 1986 ban on whaling. But opponents say they are a cover for commercial whaling because whale meat not used for study is sold for consumption in Japan."