Three ships from a Japanese whale-hunting fleet returned to their home port of Shimonoseki on Saturday, carrying on board 333 minke whales harpooned during a trip into the Antarctic Ocean.

Altogether, five whaling vessels set out on the trip in November amid international protests and condemnation. However, unlike in previous years, the ships reported no encounters with anti-whaling campaigners while on the high seas, Japanese media reported.

Japan is a signatory to the International Whaling Commission moratorium on whale hunting, but makes use of a loophole that allows the mammals to be killed for scientific research.

Commercial hunting of whales was banned in 1986, but Japan would like to see it permitted once more, with whale meat considered a delicacy by many Japanese. Tokyo makes no secret of the fact that slaughtered whales often end up being eaten.

Read more: Japan's whaling 'sustainable,' representative says

Minke whales are now one of the most frequent whaling catches

International protest

The International Court of Justice ordered Japan's "scientific whaling" to be suspended in 2014, resulting, however, in only a reduction of the program.

Tokyo's insistence on continuing with whale hunts draws regular protests worldwide, and in the past Japanese ships have clashed at sea with animal rights campaigners, notably from the Sea Shepherd group.

Last year, however, the group announced that it was not planning to make offshore protests this year.

Although minke whales grow only to some 10 meters (33 feet) in length, they are still categorized as great whales.

What happens to beached whales? A team effort Earlier this month, locals in Aceh, Indonesia, teamed up to try and help 10 sperm whales that beached themselves in shallow waters. Volunteers managed to pull six of the animals back out to sea, but four died. There is no real consensus on why whales become stranded, but there are plenty of ideas...

What happens to beached whales? Follow the leader Some whale species live in social groups known as 'pods', each of which has a leader the other animals swim behind. If the lead animal finds itself close to the shore and in trouble, it can send out a distress signal. The whales following behind may try to help and end up stranded themselves. There is also the possibility that whales become caught while chasing prey.

What happens to beached whales? Manmade strandings Another school of thought on why whales become beached suggests that overfishing forces the marine mammals to seek food in unfamiliar and potentially shallow waters where they become trapped. There is also some evidence that naval sonar can disrupt and confuse the animals while migrating.

What happens to beached whales? Evading the deep If a whale perishes deep in the murky depths of the sea, its body sinks to the bottom providing nourishment for a plethora of other animals and organisms for years, even decades to come. But those already close to the shore, may wash up on the beach, like this whale that appeared in Rio de Janeiro. If this happens, the animals decompose on the sand - a phenomenon that can cause other problems.

What happens to beached whales? An explosive response Though these sunbathers appear undeterred, the stench of a putrifying whale carcass would be enough to put many off their holiday. And the smell is not the only issue. When one of these ocean giants dies and begins to decompose, gases build up in its stomach where they are trapped by a thick layer of blubber. If humans climb on, or try to move the dead whale, it can explode.

What happens to beached whales? A sandy grave Disposing of a whale that has washed ashore can be a difficult task. Because they can pose a risk to public health, leaving them to rot on the beach is not an option. The best way, say some environmentalists, is to bury them on the beach itself, as was the case with the four whales that died in Aceh.



tj/rc (AFP, dpa)

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