Starting Monday, the IWC will gather on the Portuguese island of Madeira for five days, looking to establish concrete rules on whale hunting. Environmentalists say trade in whale meat is increasing again, despite being illegal in most of the world.

Commercial whale hunting is officially permitted in Iceland and Norway. Japan also allows whaling for scientific purposes - the country catches roughly 1,000 of the giants of the deep each year. However, Japanese whale meat not needed in the laboratory often ends up on restaurant menus instead.

Japan has said it wants to reduce the scale of its scientific whaling, in exchange for rights to commercial whale hunting near its coastline.

"That would amount to lifting the commercial whaling ban that has been in force since 1986," says Sandra Altherr of the organization Pro Wildlife.

The three whaling nations have been pushing for an end to the international ban on trade in whale meat. The industry is currently outlawed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

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