Police in South Korea have broken an illegal whale poaching racket, confiscating more than 50 tons of minke meat in the largest seizure of its kind in the country.

They raided two warehouses in the southeastern port of Ulsan where the refrigerated meat from some 60 whales was found in boxes, fishermen, distributors and operators of 46 whale meat restaurants were brought in for questioning. Whale meat can be legally sold in South Korea if the animals were caught by accident in fishing nets but each bycatch needs to be reported to the government, with marine police inspecting the whales to determine whether they were caught accidentally or deliberately.

Intentional catches are punishable with a jail term of up to three years or a fine of over £15,000. Fishermen report some 200 whales every year but with minke whales fetching at least £25,000, fishermen may have more of an incentive to seek out the mammals. It is suspected that some 400 whales are actually caught annually and consumed in South Korea, meaning some 200 are unreported to authorities.