( CNN ) -- Japan has suspended its annual Antarctic whale hunt because an anti-whaling group is tailing its ship , a government official said Wednesday . Hirosh Kawamura , an official at the Ministry of Agriculture , Forestry and Fisheries , said the hunt has been `` temporarily suspended '' since February 10 due to the actions of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society . `` We have experienced the dangerous attacks from them , it might take the life of crews , '' he said . `` Considering the safety as the first priority , we decided to halt the whaling temporarily . '' Sea Shepherd regularly dogs Japanese whaling vessels during their hunts to make their task more difficult and to lower the number of whales harvested . Japan annually hunts whales in the Antarctic , despite a worldwide moratorium on whaling , under the loophole that a country may legally do so if its purpose is scientific research . Sea Shepherd has said the science argument is a sham , noting that the whale meat is sold in Japan and served in restaurants .
Japan suspends its annual whale hunt after anti-whaling group chases its ship . The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society regularly dogs Japanese whaling vessels . The group aims to lower the number of whales harvested .