Norway's whaling season began with hunters allowed by the government to kill up to 797 of the mammals this year, the highest quota set by the government in more than a decade in defiance of repeated international criticism.
Thirty-one boats were expected to participate in this year's hunt, fishing industry publication Fiskeribladet reported on its website.
The Government announced last December that it would increase the catch quota to 797 this year from 670 last year, even though whalers failed to meet that target, mainly due to backlogs at processing factories on land.
This is the largest quota allowed since Norway relaunched commercial whale hunting in 1993 in defiance of an International Whaling Commission moratorium in place since 1986.
Norway expressed continuous opposition to the ban for seven years before deciding to flout it amidst a wave of international protests.
The Norwegian Government has claimed that hunting the minke whale poses no threat to the species, which it estimates number about 100,000 individuals in the North Atlantic.
Japan, which along with Iceland uses a loophole in the moratorium to hunt whales for so-called "scientific research", reportedly plans to expand its whaling in the Antarctic Ocean to humpback and fin whales, which are considered endangered by conservationists, as well as nearly double its catch of minke whales from the current 440.
- AFP
Norway's whaling season started on Monday with the highest quota in over a decade. Fishermen are entitled to harpoon up to 797 whales before the end of the season on August 31st.

Last years quota of 670 was raised this year despite fishermen failing to reach their quota last year. Environmental activists from groups such as Greenpeace have denounced the increase. Speaking to the Associated Press, one activist said "Increased whaling is no solution for the problems along the coast." However despite international opposition, it is unlikely Norway will end whaling anytime soon.

Norway is the only country in the world to allow commercial whaling. Iceland and Japan do so solely on a research basis. Whale meat is used as steaks and in hamburgers and sausages in Norway. The number of whales caught by Norway has steadily increased since resumption of whaling in 1993, with the 226 caught that year rising to over 500 in 1997 and 670 in 2003.

The economic argument is that whaling provides employment and economic stimulant for fishery, logistic, restaurant and other related industries in developed countries. However many countries continue to argue that, if properly developed, whale-watching could be far more profitable and create far more jobs than whale killing.