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vsTokyo is also considering a deal which would allow it to drastically scale back its yearly Antarctic hunt provided it is allowed to whale commercially in Japanese coastal waters.
What we have now is a deal which could make it even easier for Japan to continue taking whales in this ecologically unique place," said Rob Nicoll, WWF-Australia's Antarctic and Southern Ocean Initiative Manager.
vsOther proposals drawn up over more than a year of closed-door talks include a reduction in scientific catches from current levels of around 1000 whales each year, and limiting commercial whaling to the three nations that currently hunt them.
Commercial whaling was banned under a 1986 moratorium, but Japan aims to harpoon up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales, classified as endangered, in the Southern Ocean during the current Southern Hemisphere summer for research purposes.