Glut of Whale Meat

[J C]

It now seems that there is a glut of whale meat on the market in Japan after the recent up-scaling of the Japanese "scientific whale research". AP are running a story and quite a few news-sites are picking it up:

From NewsWatch50

From Canada.com

And From Forbes

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

It is good news.
Meat of a whale was high and was not able to eat so far.
In this, I get possible to eat meat of a whale cheaply.
Thank you for good information!!

[J C]

Mmmmmmm "whale meatballs, hamburgers and whale spaghetti Bolognese" with "tough texture and pungent smell" sounds SO delcious.

[nurizeko]

Maybe it is, how would you know?, its like people i know saying haggis or pizza or something doesnt taste good when they've never eaten it....be against whaling but dont make claims you have no experience to back up with.
Also please, again, refrain from lumping all japanese together, the number of japanese who eat whale meat is like a single grain in a bucket of sand, there are millions of japanese, and you will be lucky to get a few thousand who eat whale-meat, by your reasoning i can generalize all western countries as being homosexual just because a few thousand each country prefer smoking the pipe.
I know you mean well, but yeah, until you come to japan and see it for yourself, what you think you know about it is pretty weak, so you should probably refrain from the carless generalizing of a whole nation as whale-killers.

Originally Posted by the first link

TOKYO (AP) - Japan finds itself overloaded with blubber -- too much whale meat after boosting the catch.
The government is trying to entice kids with whale burgers in school lunches and colorful pamphlets singing the meat's praises. But so far, few are biting.
It appears that by rapidly expanding its much-criticized whaling program, Japan now kills more of the mammals than its consumers care to eat. The result is an unprecedented whale meat glut.
One 30-something says whale meat tastes horrible. Some youngsters are put off by the tough texture and pungent smell. Older adults say it brings back memories of post-war poverty.
Japan's Fisheries Agency says some 1,035 tons of the meat hit the market in Japan last year, a 65-percent increase from 1995

So basically the japanese arent interested in the whale-meat, where the praise?, wheres the "hey, the japanese arent just mindless zombies of the state like im always wrongly assuming!"?
Ohwell, since no-one else has said it yet i will: Told you so, nyaninani booboo the japanese arent all a nation of whale-butchers like you thought so your going to need to find someone else to demonise.

Edit: im surpised the japanese government seems so intent on whaling, if the people dont want it :/, whats the point?, whats so important about whaling their trying to force propaganda onto the people to make them eat it?....people dont want whale-meat, live with it, i cant emagine the whalers are that big a sector of society that its going to topple the diet for losing jobs.
Anyone care to awnser why whaling is such a big deal to the government?, chances are most government officials dont eat whale-meat either. :/

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

I went to a supermarket at once and bought it.
However, salted whale fat of domestic Sanriku product is 100g 250 yen.
The salted whale fat of South Seas product cost 100g 580 yen.
It is very high.
And meat of a whale is in short supply.
I am disappointed.
However,
Because I wanted to eat by all means.
I bought domestic cheap salted whale fat and ate.

[J C]

I know you're probably both just trolling for a reaction, but I'll indulge you.

Edit: im surpised the japanese government seems so intent on whaling, if the people dont want it :/, whats the point?

be against whaling

Yeah - that was the point of my original post - I made no comment pro or anti-whaling. I'm just confused why the government is subsidising whale meat and putting out pamphlets about "Declicious Whales". I also saw an article that whale meat is being advertised as pet food. Has anyone actually seen whale dog-food?

until you come to japan and see it for yourself, what you think you know about it is pretty weak

I lived in Japan for 2 years and I know that whale meat is very rare and most Japanese never eat it.

its like people i know saying haggis or pizza or something doesnt taste good when they've never eaten it.

Mmmmmmm "whale meatballs, hamburgers and whale spaghetti Bolognese" with "tough texture and pungent smell" sounds SO delcious.

I also made no comment as to whether I liked it or not, I was quoting from the article what a Japanese man described whale meat as tasting like - notice the quote marks - that's what they are for. I have never tasted whale meat myself.

you should probably refrain from the carless generalizing of a whole nation as whale-killers.

Where did I say that Japanese are whale-killers? I have many Japanese friends and none of them eat whale meat.

whale fat of domestic Sanriku product is 100g 250 yen.

100g for 250yen doesn't sound too expensive. When I was living on the Echizen-kaigan, Echizen-gani was about 10,000 per crab. Quite delicious, though.

I bought domestic cheap salted whale fat and ate.

Did you like it? It sounds like pork crackling. What does it taste like?

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

I lived in Japan for 2 years and I know that whale meat is very rare and most Japanese never eat it.

Because it does not do commercial whaling, in Japan, it is natural that meat of a whale is rare.
Though whaling was prohibited, and a price rose
Meat of a whale is sold more than 20 years.
There is enough demand in Japan.

Yeah - that was the point of my original post - I made no comment pro or anti-whaling. I'm just confused why the government is subsidising whale meat and putting out pamphlets about "Declicious Whales". I also saw an article that whale meat is being advertised as pet food. Has anyone actually seen whale dog-food?

I have not watched the pet food of a whale.
My dog likes a cat food of tuna taste.

I found such an article
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117...-23109,00.html

100g for 250yen doesn't sound too expensive. When I was living on the Echizen-kaigan, Echizen-gani was about 10,000 per crab. Quite delicious, though.

That's right.
An Echizen crab is the highest grade food materials.
It does around 15,000 yen from 10,000 yen with about 500g.
It does it more than 2,000 yen at 100g
Meat of a pig
A cheap thing is 100g
It is 128 yen from 100 yen
It is sirloin in an Australian product cow
About 100g, 149 yen.
New Zealand product lamb meat
About 100g, 132 yen
Chicken
About 100g, 98 yen
http://www.ishikawaya.co.jp/select.html

Did you like it? It sounds like pork crackling. What does it taste like?

I like sashimi of a whale.
In the days of a child,
In summer, the grandmother cooked sashimi of a whale
I ate well
Bacon of a whale is delicious, too
Salted whale fat does salt omission with hot water and bakes it with an oven.
It is good for something to nibble on while drinking of liquor
I am delicious when I eat
Besides it , When I make it OCYAZUKE and eat, it is delicious.
And ,
As for it, KUJIRA-JIRU(whale soup) is delicious, too.

[jp22]

http://www.greenpeace.org

the entire world is opposed to
. Japanese whale murder
. Canadian seal murder
. American cow murder
. Australian kangaroo murder (6 million a year)
. New Zealand sheep murder
. Chinese bearfarm murder
. Spanish and Mexican bullfight murder
. Vietnamese cat murder
. Korean dog murder
etc. etc. etc.

http://www.worldanimalnet.org

[Mikawa Ossan]

Originally Posted by J C

I know you're probably both just trolling for a reaction, but I'll indulge you.

I seriously doubt that Hiroyuki Nagashima at least, it "trolling". When I lived basically in his part of the country, I had whale sashimi at a restaurant. It was a normal part of the menu. I know of at least one convenience store in the area that sells whale meat in frozen chunks.

Whale meat is quite good, actually. Too bad they don't sell it in this part of the country...at least nowhere that I know of.

As far as "the entire world" being against those things mentioned in the previous post, obviously that just is not the case. I know very few people, Americans, Japanese, Taiwanese, etc. who are very opposed to many of those things on the list. Some of them might say it's not "good" to do some of those things, but that's about as far as their opinion really seems to go.

Face it, there's such a thing as a food chain. We maybe don't have to eat much of what we do, but being at the top of the food chain, we have the choice to eat just about anything we want. As long as we do so in a responsible manner, I don't see what the problem is.

[sabro]

I don't think the "entire world is opposed to" any of those things. I'm certain that Ted Nugent and his wife have sold thousands of their kill and eat cook books
I used to donate to the World Wildlife fund until they asked for an additional donation to help stomp out dog killing picnics in South Korea. Since dogs are not endangered and these animals are raised for this purpose, it seemed like am attempt to play a cultural thing- to exploit our cultural differences to raise cash. I cancelled my membership.

[Mikawa Ossan]

Originally Posted by sabro

I used to donate to the World Wildlife fund until they asked for an additional donation to help stomp out dog killing picnics in South Korea. Since dogs are not endangered and these animals are raised for this purpose, it seemed like am attempt to play a cultural thing- to exploit our cultural differences to raise cash. I cancelled my membership.

Sabro, that's one of the most encouraging things I've heard in a while. Thanks!

[Reiku]

Ditto.

Maybe I'd have more respect (okay, any respect) for animal rights and environmental groups if they didn't try to sell their opinions like used car salesmen. Sometimes I wonder if they actually care about the environment and are just horribly misinformed--or if they just like attacking people.

[J C]

Originally Posted by Mikawa Ossan

I seriously doubt that Hiroyuki Nagashima at least, it "trolling"....

Apologies to Hiroyuki Nagashima, you're right he wasn't, but nurizeko's comments definitely came across as trolling to me.

Originally Posted by Mikawa Ossan

Face it, there's such a thing as a food chain. We maybe don't have to eat much of what we do, but being at the top of the food chain, we have the choice to eat just about anything we want. As long as we do so in a responsible manner, I don't see what the problem is.

I guess it's people's definition of "responsible" that the whole whaling issue is about, really. Personally I don't have any sentimentality about whales. It really depends on how many whales we can reasonably take without killing them off as a species. I don't think even the staunchest pro-whaler would advocate killing off an entire species of whales - it would deprive them of the food they love.
The problem for me lies with the interpretation of scientific data surrounding the population of whales. Some people believe the data says there are enough whales to resume whaling, others don't - I find it difficult to find a scientific report on the subject not done by someone with an agenda. The whole debate is then clouded by extremists on BOTH sides putting forward propaganda.

Originally Posted by Mikawa Ossan

Too bad they don't sell it in this part of the country...at least nowhere that I know of.

I found that where I was living in Japan as well - not that I actively looked for it. But thanks to the magic of internet-shopping, here is a popular web-site where I believe you can mail order a variety of frozen whale products. Quite pricey, though.

[nurizeko]

Dont worry JC i forgive you, your not the first person who labels someone else post as trolling when they find it offensive.
I will give you this though, and, on the terms you understand and forgive me, i did kind of respond assuming your post was yet another eco-rant, so i apologise, i did read it after and relise what you were getting at (the linked article and all) so i apologise and yes, please refrain from troll-accusations, the intent of my reply was merely to defend japan from what i had (wrongly) assumed was another wild poorly informed attack on the japanese eating habits.
Also for brownie points, when i see whale-meat at a super-market, i push the cans right to the back of the shelf so their hard to see or get.
Okay i aint bombing any fishing ministry buildings or tormenting the families of whalers, but i feel its still something.
Also i agree with sabro, theres no excuse to ban dog-meat in a country that eats it, if the animals are raised for that purpouse, also dogs are far from endangered, being "mans best friend" theres few other animals that get it easy, i mean, us humans raise and feed them and stuff for nothing but "love" and stuff.....pretty sweet set-up for the dogs.

Originally Posted by JP22

http://www.greenpeace.org
the entire world is opposed to
. Japanese whale murder
. Canadian seal murder
. American cow murder
. Australian kangaroo murder (6 million a year)
. New Zealand sheep murder
. Chinese bearfarm murder
. Spanish and Mexican bullfight murder
. Vietnamese cat murder
. Korean dog murder
etc. etc. etc.
http://www.worldanimalnet.org

...Except the Japanese, Canadians, Americans, Australians, Kiwi's, Chinese, Spaniards and mexicans, Vietnamese and Koreans, and oh....say about the 5billion + meat-eating omnivore people who inhabit the earth.

Unless that was am very well written pass at sarcasm, please refrain from ranting here, its not really a rule it seems that your not allowed to rant, but, in general, folk dont think highly of eco-ranters here, next-time, please present your side of the debate without using murder more then 2 or 3 times, and without being next to the name of an animal species.


Why is it fringe tiny minority's who shout the loudest with their demands on the rest of humanity?.

[Reiku]

Because they are the ones being segregated and oppressed by the will of the majority--that much, at least, I can understand.

Unfortunately, there's a tendancy to go overboard.

When a minority is oppressed--whether it's intentional or just becuase they always get overruled by the decisions of the majority--there's a tendancy to want to protect your beliefs and way of life by forcing it on everyone in sight:

"If everyone were [insert minority here], we wouldn't get picked on anymore."

So to end their oppression they become opressors themselves...

Ironic isn't it?

Can't say I haven't made that mistake a few times in my life...

[PopCulturePooka]

Australians dont kill Roo's for meat.

We kill them because their populations get out of hand and need to be culled before a population crash occurs, which can be more damaging than culling.

[Reiku]

Ah but the real question is:

...are they tasty?

[PopCulturePooka]

Originally Posted by Reiku

Ah but the real question is:

...are they tasty?

Dunno.

Only had Roo once. Not very widely eaten in Australia.

And the ones that are culled are wild. Not fit for eating.

[sabro]

The roo culling illustrates the need for culling and wildlife management. There are animals-- which due to the limits we have put on predators and habitat now require human intervention to maintain balance. The most skilled and brilliant science teacher at my school told me that we should never ever eat any meat that was not taken from wild life management-- and that our current elk and deer populations in the Inland Empire need thinning which is only accomplished by issuing a number of doe tags.

[nurizeko]

I saw a documentary on TV about some aquatic life, and this species of lobster somewhere off the coast of north america actually seemed to be thriving despite lobster fishing because of their natural predators also being kept down by fishing.

And i saw the scenes where a species of squid could reproduce and feel safe within a fishing box net thing? where its natural predators couldnt interupt.

And yeah, it really highlighted how responsible fishing/aquatic farming practices dont automatically need to be considored detrimental to the enviroment.

Sabro makes a good point.

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by PopCulturePooka

Dunno.
Only had Roo once. Not very widely eaten in Australia.
And the ones that are culled are wild. Not fit for eating.

Yeah, i wouldn't even feed kangaroo to a dog- you just have to take into consideration that its not like anyones wormed the animals, then take into consideration that the eggs of many worms cannot be properly destroyed by the cooking process unless you like, incinerate the meat, and then you see what i mean lol ! Never eaten whale myself, but apparently it tastes foul in comparsion to far better meats like beef or lamb, which is apparently the main reason why it hasn't really taken off in japan despite lots of encouraging from the government.

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I think that whale culling is unesarsary considering they are rare animals and are more in need of having their populations boosted rather than culled, unless you really believe that report on "Whales Starving Millions" lol .

[Mikawa Ossan]

Originally Posted by Tokis-Phoenix

Never eaten whale myself, but apparently it tastes foul in comparsion to far better meats like beef or lamb, which is apparently the main reason why it hasn't really taken off in japan despite lots of encouraging from the government.

I disagree about the taste. As some one who's eaten whale, I have to say that it tastes good.

First of all, it would be much more instructive to compare it to the meat of fish, rather than other mammals, because it is seafood, and the texture is much closer to fish than it is to beef or lamb.

Second, I think it's a regional thing. I used to live on the San-in Coast of Western Japan, and whale was without a doubt much more popular there than it is here in Aichi. There was a whale museum, a whale graveyard, statues of whales, and if you knew where to go, whale on the menu. This is where I had whale meat, and this is where there was whale in the convenience store.

I have more to say, but I'm tired now....

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Its too bad then that there's more whale meat on the menu than what japanese people can/want to eat right now then.

[sabro]

Sorry Tokis-Phoenix, I wasn't suggesting that whales be culled... I was saying that culling through either harvesting or hunting has to be done to manage populations of wildlife in certain situations. I don't believe that whales will ever meet these situations because of the time it takes them to mature to breeding age, the rate of breeding and length of gestation, and infringements on range and food supply. I doubt that even with our best efforts, whale overpopulations will ever be a problem.