Perhaps in a bid to make people think that Japanese ‘scientific’ whale hunting isn’t really that bad after all, fisherman in Wakayama Prefecture have been conscientiously continuing their regular cetacean cull; a busy day on the boats last Saturday alone resulting in around 128 dead dolphins.
Yet it may not be only the dolphins that suffer from such activities, as the potentially high levels of mercury in the resultant meat is far from healthy. A fact that prompted Health Sciences University Professor Tetsuya Endo to confess, “To be honest, I’m worried about people who eat too much of it. There is a range in the concentrations (of mercury in meat) and averages may be low, but a consumer may have bad luck and get a high-density serving. Japanese people have their choice of food. Why eat something dangerous?”
But despite such choice people still eat the stuff, with supermarkets preparing the product by balancing the amount of fat, meat and skin in each portion. A delicacy that may not look to be bad in its traditional setting of a miso-flavoured stew, but in its natural form, ‘appetising’ isn’t exactly the first word that springs to mind.
Tempted?
James says
With such low prices, how can I say no?
Ken Y-N says
There was an article on the Beeb a few weeks back that said that the benefits of eating fish outweighed the drawbacks of the mercury, but I suspect this was at lower concentrations than the average Japanese dolphin.
It’s half price, but also 9 months past its sell-by date.
Eric at Paris Daily Photo says
I wonder why we keep depleting the ocean’s bounty, especially for dolphin meat.
Smallbrainfield says
Crazy Japanese.
WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF FISH YOU MAD, FISH EATING FOOLS, EATING SEA MAMMALS WON’T SAVE US.
Only Project Smorgasbord can do that, but will anyone listen???
K says
If it’s so good, why is it on sale for half price? Poor little dolphins…
naotoj says
Hmm, I lived in Tokyo suburb area for over 30 years, but I never saw dolphin meat sold at a store as in the picture, or heard that dolphin meat as a delicacy. Where did you take the picture?
Geisha says
YOU FIENDS!!!!!! DOLPHINS HAve BEEN NOTHING BUT GOOD
xememem says
Dolphins aren’t even supposed to be eaten. They can contain up to 10ppm of mercury, 9ppm over the safe mercury level. Not only does this harm us, we are slowly killing the marine life. This is beyond pathetic.
torachan says
I cannot eat as much dolphin and whale meat as I could. All the animals and fish in the world should be consumed by people as food. It is time to abolish all animal protection laws and allow us to eat any creatures.