A majority of member nations of the whaling commission found that the Japanese expedition had no scientific merit.

"The Japanese will feel free to ignore the United States and thumb their noses at the whaling commission," he said.

The fleet had turned back three weeks ago after hauling in its 1,941st whale, the quota set by the whaling commission.

Over the last two years, most of the debate in the whaling commission focused on how to establish an acceptable system for measuring whale populations.

In a statement today, Iceland called the whaling commission "anachronistic and ineffective."

Several years later, the Makah won permission to hunt again, along with a $100,000 federal grant to set up a whaling commission.

The whaling commission rejected Japan's request by a vote of 16 to 8.

But they have filed a formal request to have the United States seek approval for them from the whaling commission.

Estimates by the whaling commission show that the blue, bowhead and right whales currently have populations under 10,000.

Japan, however, is not expected to take such a bold move or to withdraw from the whaling commission.