One of Iceland's three whaling vessels left Reykjavik harbour early on Sunday and at least one other was expected to join the hunt for minke whales later in the day.

Bad weather had prevented whaling from resuming on Friday, when the government's moratorium ended.

The government has authorised the three boats to catch 38 minke whales by September 30, under what it says is a "research plan".

The crew of the MB Sigurbjorg told AFP they had sighted a few minke whales but had not fired at them because the animals were outside the designated hunting area.

Minke whales have not been caught around Iceland since 1985 and no whales at all have been killed since the conclusion of the government's previous research plan in 1989.

Reykjavik's decision to resume whaling sparked international protests and a campaign by environmental pressure group Greenpeace. For the last week, Icelandic ministries and embassies around the world have been bombarded with e-mails opposing whaling.

The protest movement is likely to enter a more belligerent phase when Greenpeace's vessel, the Rainbow Warrior, reaches Iceland in around two weeks time.

Icelandic media on Sunday quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying the government welcomed the protest emails, since they provided Iceland "with a platform to defend its cause". Every e-mail would receive a reply, he said.

In its defence the Icelandic government cites an estimate -- ratified by the International Whaling Commission's Scientific Committee -- that the minke whale stock in the mid-Atlantic numbered 67,000 individuals in 2001, of which 43,000 whales were in Icelandic waters.

Around 200 minke whales were caught by Iceland each year between 1977 and 1985, without having a significant impact on the stock's size, according to Icelandic scientists.

TERRA.WIRE