Large-scale whaling began around the 11th century with hunts by the Basques and gained momentum in the 19th century with the invention of faster, steam-powered ships and more deadly harpoons.

The huge marine animals provided oil for lamps, candles, soaps and perfumes, baleen for whips, corsets and other devices, and meat.

Faced with the near extinction of whales like the giant blue bigger than any dinosaur and with a tongue the size of an elephant the IWC imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling from 1986.

The IWC, which has 70 member states, allows an exception for subsistence catches of whales for indigenous peoples in places like Greenland, Siberia and the US state of Alaska.

Main whaling nations

NORWAY - Resumed commercial hunts of minke whales in 1993, ignoring the IWC moratorium. Norway's whalers have a quota of 1,052 of the cetaceans for 2006. The meat is eaten as steaks.

Oslo further angered whaling opponents by resuming whale exports in 2002, to Iceland and the Faroe Islands, in defiance of a separate global trade ban.

JAPAN - Carries out whaling for scientific research, which Tokyo says is allowed by IWC rules even though opponents call it a cover for commercial hunts. Japan caught 850 minke whales in the Antarctic in its annual whaling season and 10 fin whales, which conservationists say are endangered. It has announced plans to hunt around 50 fins and humpbacks a year. The meat ends up in restaurants and sushi bars.

ICELAND - Resumed whaling in 2003 when it caught 36 minke whales for scientific research. It cut the quota to 25 in 2004 and caught the same number in 2005.

Source: China Daily