Pro-whaling nations, led by Japan, are expected to challenge the 10-year-old ban on commercial whale hunting.
The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission begins on Friday on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts.
Now, this move comes as the Japanese authorities are trying to cultivate an appetite for whale among the younger generation in Japan.
Atika Shubert went out on the street to find out more about it.
Your lunchbox may not be big enough for this -- whale burgers,
part of Japan's bid to revive a taste for whale meat among the nation's young.
Despite generations of a whaling tradition, whale consumption has plummeted in Japan.
The government blames a 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling amid claims
from environmental groups that whales are an endangered species.
The government takes a different position.
There is no "the whale." There are a variety of whales.
And some whales, like the blue whale, is actually threatened with extinction.
But others, such as the minke whale, has have enough number of animals.
So we can utilize those whales in a sustainable manner.
Japan used to haul in more than 200,000 tons a year.
It is now limited to 5,000 in so-called scientific hunts -- whales killed for research legally sold on the market.
But few people are buying.
High cost and short supply means many Japanese under the age of 30 have never tasted this other red meat.
Stockpiles of whale are piling up to the government's despair.
The government is heavily promoting whales, so we've come to one of Tokyo's few whale restaurants
to understand why it's so important for Japan to eat more whale.
Thirty-five-year-old Shintaro Sato comes from a whaling family.
His grandfather hunted the giant mammals, his father opened up this whale restaurant that he's inherited.
He knows about the controversy but believes that sustainable whaling is the answer.
We need a lot of time to the follow whale program, but I trust the Japanese government.
Assuring us that we are not eating an endangered species, Sato recommends several whale delicacies:
whale back, whale skin, whale colon and whale bacon, all served raw on the impressive slab of a whale tooth.
He insists it has the meaty taste of beef with less fat, though there is an oily fish aftertaste.
He also introduces some of the whale's more delicate parts.
The whale's penis.
Sato has an example of this whale-sized organ hanging prominently by his cash register. How many people could it feed?
Maybe 400 people.
He says it has medicinal properties that only benefit men. I can only hope for no lingering side effects.
We took a plate of fried whale meat onto the streets of Tokyo to tempt the city's youth.
These girls said, "tastes like chicken, goes well with beer, but probably not worth extinction."
This 16-year-old said it tasted like liver. He'd take a regular burger over a whale burger any day.
Everyone we asked was under 30 years old. For most, this was their first time to eat whale.
Would it be their last?