Japan is preparing to restart commercial whaling next month after a 30-year break following its controversial withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission.

A fleet of five vessels will set off from Abashiro port in Kushiro, Hokkaido, northern Japan on July 1 following a formal ceremony and are expected to continue whaling until the autumn.

The vessels reportedly belong to six whaling operators from across the country, who will split up to hunt for whales in a number of different areas within Japan’s exclusive economic zone but will not venture into the Antarctic.

Next month’s whaling mission is expected to target a range of species of whales, including Giant Beaked Berardius whales throughout the summer months, followed by Minke whales in northern waters until October.

It will be the first time in more than three decades that Japan has conducted commercial whaling, after halting the activity in 1988 in line with a moratorium adopted by the International Whaling Commission six years earlier.