Tokyo ? A Japanese whaling ship returned to port from Antarctica on Friday with a catch of 508 whales, despite having its annual hunt cut short by a deadly fire.

The Nisshin Maru’s hunt had triggered a high-seas showdown with environmental groups even before the fire, and Greenpeace issued a fresh condemnation of Japan’s whaling program, calling for the damaged ship to be retired.

Tokyo says its whaling provides crucial data for the International Whaling Commission on populations and feeding habits of whales in Antarctic seas.

The hunts are allowed by the commission, but environmental groups have long condemned the hunts as a pretext for keeping alive commercial whaling, which was banned in 1986.

The six-vessel fleet managed to kill 508 whales out of a target of 860. The meat will be sold for human consumption.