From the BBC:
A Japanese whaling fleet has set sail aiming to harpoon humpback whales for the first time in decades.
The fleet is conducting its largest hunt in the South Pacific – it has instructions to kill up to 1,000 whales, including 50 humpbacks.
The humpback hunt is the first since a mid-1960s global ban and has drawn strong protests from environmentalists.
Crowds gathered to wave off the boat, in good cheer. Japanese officials are saying that the stocks of humpback whales are back to a normal level, and the humpback was declared close to extinction just four years ago.
BBC online reports.
