Tonnes of meat from whales slaughtered by Japanese whalers for so-called scientific research have gone unsold because of the economic slump.
The Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research said 50 tonnes out of 725 tonnes of meat from whales killed in 2000 had not been sold.
Takumi Ikeshima from the institute said it was the first time wholesalers had been unable to sell all their stocks since Japan started what it calls scientific whaling in 1987.
Japan continues so-called scientific whaling under a loophole in International Whaling Commission rules, but scientists around the world call the practice unjustified and inhumane.
This whaling season in the Antarctic, Japanese whalers have so far killed about 200 minke whales, say Greenpeace observers on the environmental group's ship Arctic Sunrise.
Last year Japanese fishermen sold 52 whales that had been trapped in nets, following the introduction of a law that does not require fishermen to free snared whales.
The 52 whales were in addition to those killed under the research programme.
Mr Ikeshima said whale meat sales had been poor in the big cities, including Tokyo and Osaka.
However, people in southwestern Japan turned out to rescue 14 whales beached in rocky shallows off Oura, about 800km southwest of Tokyo, this week.
It was feared seven of the whales, thought to be sperm whales and between 8m and 10m long, were dead in spite of rescue attempts in strong winds and heavy seas.
Despite Japan's whaling efforts, there have been several cases recently where towns have launched such rescue operations.
- NZPA, REUTERS
nzherald.co.nz/environment
Japanese struggle to sell whale meat
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