A member of the Japanese delegation walk [Getty Images]

A member of the Japanese delegation walks past anti-whaling militants on June 21, 2010 as he arrives for the opening of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Agadir. The IWC is to debate catch quotas, which could replace a moratorium. The 88-nation body will debate the proposal, put forward by the IWC's chairmen in an attempt to break a 24-year deadlock that has nearly wrecked the global whaling regime. Despite a 1986 moratorium on the commercial hunting of whales, Japan, Norway and Iceland have flouted the ban and still kill the animals, more than 1,500 in the 2008-2009 season alone. AFP PHOTO / ABDELHAK SENNA (Photo credit should read ABDELHAK SENNA/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP ABDELHAK SENNA