The meat came from two minke whales caught off Japan's coast.

Chunks of meat from the first whales caught since Japan resumed commercial whaling this week have fetched "celebration prices" at auction.

Key points:

• Prices of the meat were sold for much higher due to the "special occasion"
• Japan left the International Whaling Commission on June 30
• Whale meat sellers are worried about slim demand

The fresh meat sold for up to 15,000 yen ($198) per kilogram, several times higher than the prices paid for Antarctic minkes at a wholesale market in Sendai, one of several cities on Japan's northern coasts to hold the auction.

The meat came from two minke whales caught by a fleet of five catcher boats off the northern city of Kushiro on Monday, when Japan resumed commercial whaling after 31 years.

During those years it conducted so-called research hunts in the Antarctic and the northwestern Pacific that conservations criticised as a cover for banned commercial hunts.

Japan left the International Whaling Commission on June 30 and has promised the whalers will stay within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

Whale meat is no longer a popular dish in Japan.

The Fisheries Agency set the catch quota through the end of the year at 227 whales — fewer than the 627 Japan had hunted in those distant waters for its research program in recent years.

Sendai Suisan Co said they purchased 120 kilograms of a high-priced fatty belly meat called unesu, and placed 10,000 yen ($132) per kilogram for the red meat.

The prices were much higher than the average 2,000 yen ($26) per kilogram.

Separately, 66 kilograms of whale meat was auctioned in Taiji, one of the traditional whaling towns also known for its dolphin hunts that were shown in the documentary film The Cove.

'Special occasion' prices

Whale meat was an affordable source of protein during the lean times after World War II.

Meat from whales hunted by the other fleet in the Antarctic will be frozen and distributed separately.

"They were celebration prices for a special occasion," said the company spokesman, referring to the prices that are significantly higher than those of whales hunted in the Antarctic.

He expected the prices to drop to "appropriate levels" to attract a wide range of consumers.

Despite the good start, whaling communities are uncertain about the future and whether their business is commercially viable after a decades-long hiatus.

"We are all worried if our businesses can be profitable," the spokesman said.

While the resumption of commercial whaling was condemned by many conservation groups, others see it as a face-saving way to let the Government's embattled and expensive whaling program gradually succumb to changing times and tastes.

Whale meat sellers are also worried about slim demand. Whale meat was an affordable source of protein during the lean times after World War II, with annual consumption peaking at 223,000 tonnes in 1962, but whale was quickly replaced by other meats.

Today, annual supply is down to about 4,000-5,000 tonnes, according to the Fisheries Agency.

AP