Much to the horror of citizens all over the world, Japan's whaling fleets have once more set out into the South Atlantic, operating under the name of scientific whaling and with the intention this season of killing 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales. The 60th meeting of the International Whaling Commission will be held this year in Santiago, Chile, and the battle lines between Japan and its supporting countries and the rest of the world could not be clearer. This is the history behind the present return to slaughter and its likely impact on the world's oceans.