Fire prompts early end to whale hunt
Japan has decided to pull its whaling fleet out of the Antarctic and end a hunt early in the wake of a fire that crippled its mother ship, officials said today.
The blaze aboard the Nisshin Maru two weeks ago killed one crew member and left the vessel unable to move under its own power for 10 days, prompting strong protests from New Zealand and Greenpeace over potential oil and chemical spills or damage to penguin colonies.
The six-ship fleet had been scheduled to continue its hunt through March. It killed 508 of a target catch of 860 whales.
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