Does Anyone Really Want to Eat Whale Meat?

Being a foodie, I've tasted my fair share of strange foods. Whale meat isn't one of them. And apparently I'm far from alone. According to Greenpeace, NPR, and other media outlets, whale meat isn't such a popular dish globally.

That fact makes this week's whaling talks even more surprising to me. Beginning today, 88 countries are getting together in Morocco for International Whaling Commission (IWC) discussions. For the first time in nearly 25 years, the IWC will consider overturning an international ban on commercial whaling. As Change.org's Stephanie Feldstein reports, Japan, one of three countries allowed to hunt a small number of whales every year, is leading the pro-whaling charge. The country's also been accused of shadily garnering the developing nations' support, using everything from cash to prostitutes as bribes.

The commercial whaling ban went into effect in 1986 after virtually all species of whales suffered diminished population numbers. Japan's been clamoring for a lift on the ban ever since, claiming that whale hunting is a crucial part of the nation's culture, and that citizens grew up consuming whale meat.

And to an extent, the country's correct: Whale was popular in Japan post-WWII when times were hard and the pickings were slim. NPR reports on schools serving up rubbery, whale nuggets as lunchtime fare, making today's gross cafeteria food look like five-star dinners. Even today, whale meat serves as a popular dish in four small, Japanese ports.

But nationwide, whale meat seldom graces dinner plates. According to a 2006 Greenpeace survey, 95 percent of Japanese people claim to never or rarely eat whale meat. Even the relatively small amount of whale meat that Japan hunts every year doesn't always sell out. In 2007, more than 4,000 tons of the meat sat frozen and unsold in Japanese warehouses, Greenpeace says.

Not only is the meat pretty unpopular, in many cases, it's not even healthy. Some reports indicate that whale meat packaged and sold in Japan contains high levels of mercury, a heavy metal linked to developmental disorders and learning disabilities.

Given the fact that Japanese citizens dislike the dish, it seems strange that the nation would claim whale meat to be part of its cultural identity. Not to get all culturally imperialistic here, but America would hardly call dibs on apple pie if its citizens didn't consume the dessert in heaping platefuls. So what gives?

Well for one, Japan doesn't like to be told what to do. The country's seen the commercial whaling ban as a symbol of Western imperialism since its inception almost 25 years ago. Like so many political struggles, there are many years of pent-up anger driving this pro-whaling push. And some suspect the country has ulterior motives. As Change.org reports, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society recently uncovered some secret reports showing plans to develop a host of products from whale parts, everything from fish farm food to health supplements. Could it be that Japan wants to use whales not for "cultural" human food, but for new economic ventures?

It's pretty clear that Japanese citizens could care less about consuming whale meat. And to start hunting whales again would undermine all the progress that's been made as a result of the commercial whaling ban. Populations of blue whales, Southern right whales, humpbacks, and fin whales are finally starting to improve. Putting Japan and other nations back in the whale-hunting business would seriously compromise whales and ocean ecosystems.

Sign our petition asking the IWC to investigate corruption within the organization. Calling Japan out on its lies and bribery is the only way to maintain the world's commercial whaling ban.

Photo credit: Alan Vernon. via Flickr