Centuries-old whaling town battles for survival

When Tameo Ryono first sailed about five decades ago from the remote Japanese village of Taiji to catch whales, he was filled with pride.

"Whalers were stars here in Taiji. I got what I had dreamed of since I was a little boy," the tall, softspoken Ryono said at a community center in Japan's oldest whaling village, nestled in a sprawling national park near the craggy Pacific coast.

"I'm proud of being able to do whaling throughout my life."