Feb 7, 2008, 16:48 GMT
Oslo - The Norwegian whaling quota was set at 1,052 minke whales for 2008, the Fisheries Ministry said Thursday.
The quota was the same as in 2007, and included 97 whales that were not caught during the whaling seasons 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
The ministry said 900 whales would be allowed to be caught in coastal areas including the North Sea, the Barents Sea and the area around Svalbard.
Hunting conditions are impacted by weather conditions as well as high fuel costs.
In recent years, whalers have often refrained from travelling to the zone around the island of Jan Mayen, north-east of Iceland.
Norway resumed whaling in 1993, arguing that hunting is necessary to prevent the minke whale population from growing so large that it threatens fish stocks.
Minke whales are the smallest of the seven great whales. They are up to 11 metres long, and can weigh about 8 tons.
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