Japan's whaling fleet in the Antarctic will avoid killing humpback whales for now, but will press on with plans to slay 1,000 other whales by early in the New Year, a government official said yesterday.

The move follows Australia's announcement on Wednesday that it would send a fisheries patrol ship to gather evidence for a possible International Court challenge to halt Japan's yearly slaughter. Plans by Japan to include 50 endangered humpbacks in its annual hunt had sparked an outcry from activists.

Popular among whale watchers for their distinctive silhouette and acrobatic leaps, humpbacks were hunted to near extinction until the International Whaling Commission (IWC) ordered their protection in 1966.

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