The Fisheries Agency will clamp down on the possession and sale of illegal whale meat by revising regulations to impose fines and prison sentences amid criticism that poached whale meat is being sold in Japan, sources said Friday.
The agency will also pave the way for the sale of meat from whales that cannot be released after becoming entangled in fixed fishing nets, the sources added.
Presently, an ordinance bans the sale of meat from whales caught in fishing nets to stop poaching.