In the last four years, Norway’s self-allocated annual quota has almost doubled to target 1,052 minke whales, says the society.

However, the whalers have "consistently failed" to reach these targets and, in 2006, the hunt was suspended for three weeks, reportedly because whalers could not sell products from the animals they had already killed.

Sue Fisher, whaling expert at WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society said: "Norway’s relentless increase in quota allowances is politically motivated.

"The domestic market for whale meat and products is in rapid decline in Norway as it is in Japan and Iceland, and this dying industry is heavily subsidised by Government investment."

Norway’s continued commercial whaling is said to cost the Government hundreds of thousands of pounds in subsidies, including fuel tax exemption and the disposal, storage and processing of whale blubber, for which there is no domestic market.

"Despite the costs," continues the society, "Norway, along with Iceland and Japan, persevere in their efforts to conduct whaling programmes, attempting to stimulate their domestic markets."

The Norwegian Government has also recently provided funding to a new whale processing plant, Lofothval, through a state-owned company responsible for promoting Norwegian goods and services.

Despite Government action and subsidies, WDCS reports that the demand for whale meat continues to fall, and the Norwegian whalers continue to fail to meet their own whaling quotas.

With less than 600 minke whales killed in both the 2006 and 2007 hunts, it says there is no evidence to suggest there is a market for meat from over 1,000 animals.

Sue Fisher added: “Norwegian whalers have already begun to feel the pinch from this wasteful and unnecessary industry, leaving later than in previous years to take advantage of more profitable fishing activities instead.”

Norwegian whale hunts are believed to cause immense and unnecessary suffering for the commercial production of meat.

Data from its hunts has shown that one in five whales do not die instantaneously, with whales that are struck by the harpoon, lost and then recovered taking up to one hour to die.

In contrast to the strict regulations for commercial meat production in Norwegian slaughterhouses, whales are not stunned or humanely secured before they are killed. Instead, when the harpoon is unsuccessful, a rifle is often used to finally kill the whale.

WDCS is urging the Norwegian Government to cease its whaling operations immediately.

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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