AGADIR, Morocco, (Reuters) – Talks on replacing a  whaling moratorium with a controlled cull are likely to fail  this week because anti-whaling countries are giving no ground,  Norway’s delegate to the meeting said yesterday.

Japan, Norway and Iceland have caught thousands of whales  since a worldwide moratorium came into force a quarter of a  century ago when some species came close to extinction.

A compromise being discussed by the International Whaling  Commission (IWC) in the Moroccan port city of Agadir would allow  the three countries to hunt a limited number of whales for 10  years under strict controls.