Japan and other pro-whaling nations are poised to deliver a huge blow to the global ban on whaling when the International Whaling Commission meets in St Kitts later this week.
Months of furious lobbying appear to have paid off for Japan, which believes it has secured enough votes among the IWC membership to put in place procedural changes that could see the 20-year old ban lifted within a few years, writes Justin McCurry.
Though it denies charges of vote buying, Tokyo has given generous aid packages to several poor countries that, in turn, have indicated they will vote with Japan.
Lifting the ban would require a 75 percent majority. That almost certainly isn't going to happen this week, but anti-whaling nations admit they have been wrong-footed by Japan's aggressive diplomacy.
Greenpeace is encouraging people to sign up as ocean defenders to protest whale hunting. This action isn't as direct as it sounds - the nearest you'll get to the Greenpeace vessel is watching the webcam and reading the blog, but your name will go towards the target one million the organisation hopes to attract this year. The WDCS is organising a Save the Whale week, in mid-July and is offering party packs to people willing to organise events.
The meeting, which begins Friday, promises to be as close, and as bitter, as they come.
