Whale Meat Glut, what to do?

[homesweethome]

[url=http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=143&art_id=qw1139469484275B215[url]Japan has enticed children with whale burger school lunches, sung the praises of the red meat in colourful pamphlets, and declared whale hunting "a national heritage."[/url]

But Tokyo has been caught in a striking dilemma: by rapidly expanding its much-criticised whaling program, Japan now kills more of the mammals than its consumers care to eat.

So the answer is:



Export the dog meat to Korea!
Market philosophy at it finest.

[Mike Oxlong]

Japan Update, the local English rag on Okinawa, has a "fair & balanced" piece on whales in the region, specifically whale watching, and how the eco-loving Japanese have done so much to bring back the whales...

The Kerama Islands are 25 miles west of Naha. The area was once a popular whale fishing ground, but became overfished. Today, the Whale Watching Society has a campaign under way to repopulate the area and restore the region as a principle whale breeding ground. It appears to be working, as humpback whales make the annual trek to the Keramas to give birth to their young, then nurture them in the warm, quiet waters.

After the whale population was decimated, the humpbacks in the region fell under protection of the International Whaling Commission, which in 1966 banned their hunting. The Russians continued illegal catches until being pressured to stop in the 1970’s, allowing the 25-40 ton mammals to regenerate. There are now 35,000~45,000 humpbacks, about 1/3 of the
previous population.

[jingai]

Amazing isn't - they do well when they're not hunted...

[Charles]

Apparently the "national heritage" is killing whales, not eating them.

[Greji]

Apparently the "national heritage" is killing whales, not eating them.

It's the in thing. You stuff that baby and hang him in the den! Be the only one in your neighborhood with a stuffed sperm whale!

[jingai]

Apparently the "national heritage" is killing whales, not eating them.

And here I thought the Europeans were much more successful at that than the Japanese ever were...

[Mulboyne]

Shortnews: Conservation Group Claims Japan is Selling Whale Meat as Pet Food

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, a British based charity, has claimed that whale meat is being marketed in Japan as organic pet food. Japan's stockpile of whale meat has reportedly grown from 673 to 4800 tonnes since 1998...Mark Simmons, WDCS science director said, "We have heard many arguments from Japan over the years about why whaling is necessary to them but they have never stated that they needed to kill whales to feed their dogs."

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society say they found a web site but do not provide the link. There's one here.

[dimwit]

Sounds like a pretty dubious claim. Whale meal is extremely expensive and selling it as pet food is unlikely as there are lots of meat sources you could use that would be cheaper.

[drpepper]

Sounds like a pretty dubious claim. Whale meal is extremely expensive and selling it as pet food is unlikely as there are lots of meat sources you could use that would be cheaper.

Not really dubious as that link shows they are indeed selling whale meat for dogs...

[dimwit]

Serves me right for not actually viewing the links. Guess I am in my Sunday brain switched off frames of mind.

[homesweethome]

Of course they're using whale meat in dog food, along with Koshihikari rice in chicken feed, Dolphin brains in plant fertilizer, and believe it or not, aborted human fetuses make cherry blossoms bloom 'out of season' Everybody who grows things in Japan knows this sort of stuff, and the list is long and distiguished.

[homesweethome]

[Taro Toporific]

Sounds like a pretty dubious claim. Whale meal is extremely expensive and selling it as pet food is unlikely ....

Unlikely pet food and dangerous to dogs.....

High levels of mercury found in melon-headed whales: study
Kyodo, Tuesday March 7, 5:19 AM----About a dozen melon-headed whales recently found dead in Chiba Prefecture contained 10 times the standard of mercury currently allowed by the government, a study showed Tuesday.
Tetsuya Endo, a lecturer at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, said the high concentration of mercury was detected in the muscle of the whales washed ashore in Ichinomiya, Chiba, late last month...
....Melon-headed whales are not eaten in Japan but Endo says the public had better be cautious.
"While we were studying the whales, some of the onlookers said they looked appetizing. But I think eating is not recommended," he said.

[homesweethome]

"While we were studying the whales, some of the onlookers said they looked appetizing. But I think eating is not recommended," he said.

Oh man how can you resist that!

When the dead whales wash up on the beach what do the Japanese call it? A gaijin sashimi party orgy?

Let's beat and eat the foreign meat?

This is a very serious question that has me totally bedonkered.

[Greji]

Oh man how can you resist that!

Hey, no whales there, that's your basic Mississippi Road Pizza !

[homesweethome]

My profound question is: When a whale dies from mercury poisoning or liver cancer or whatever and washes up on a beach in Japan, spilling it rotten putrid, diseased, guts all over the place, the natives all come out and cry "Oishiso!"

And when you run over an opossum or even a deer in 'Ill noise' or 'In Diana' I only know a few people who even think about taking the remains home and making dinner of it. And that's just because they are tired of eating out of McDonalds dumpsters and give away day old bread from Scotts and even the welfare government workers have given up on them, but they don't drive cars anyway, at least not great distances (they are too difficult to steal and gas costs money anyway).



So is there any difference? What is it?

[Greji]

And when you run over an opossum or even a deer in 'Ill noise' or 'In Diana' I only know a few people who even think about taking the remains home and making dinner of it.

That's ridiculous. Who would even think of that. Nobody back there would think of picking up something had been lying dead on the road after 3 or 4 days, it's lost its freshness by then, plus that its hard to chew.

[Charles]

[Mulboyne]

My profound question is: When a whale dies from mercury poisoning or liver cancer or whatever and washes up on a beach in Japan, spilling it rotten putrid, diseased, guts all over the place, the natives all come out and cry "Oishiso!"

Nice theory but that isn't what happened a few days ago:



Tragedy as 50 beached whales die
About 50 whales have died after stranding themselves for a second time on a beach in Japan. The animals were part of a pod of about 70 melon-headed whales that had been put back in the sea after beaching themselves in Ichinomiya on Tuesday. Surfers and local residents had helped return the whales to sea, but by Wednesday morning some of the pod had run itself back up on the shore. Scientists plan to do tests to find out why the whales ran aground...The remaining 20 whales have been transported to a sea port, and will be kept there and released at a later date.

[homesweethome]

High levels of mercury found in melon-headed whales: study
Kyodo, Tuesday March 7, 5:19 AM----About a dozen melon-headed whales recently found dead in Chiba Prefecture contained 10 times the standard of mercury currently allowed by the government, a study showed Tuesday.

"While we were studying the whales, some of the onlookers said they looked appetizing. But I think eating is not recommended," he said.

I also had another interesting experience one time. A Korean friend living in Japan came to my home for dinner. When he arrived I introduced my family and I happened to have a dog at the time. I introduced the dog and told him it's name, his remark was (about my dog) "Oishiso!" He wasn't joking either.

By the way GB, I know what you are going to ask, and the answer is NO! I did not serve my dog for dinner that evening!

We had leftover Obasan!

[Greji]

I also had another interesting experience one time. A Korean friend living in Japan came to my home for dinner. When he arrived I introduced my family and I happened to have a dog at the time. I introduced the dog and told him it's name, his remark was (about my dog) "Oishiso!" He wasn't joking either.

By the way GB, I know what you are going to ask, and the answer is NO! I did not serve my dog for dinner that evening!

Don't be ridiculous HSH, why would you even insinuate I would think something like that, let alone say it. Everybody knows that on an important occasion like that, the dog should be served during a selected brunch with light hors d'oevres and a fine wine of vintage. I actually like dogs myself, although I can't eat a whole one.

BTW, how old was the Obasan and is their any chance I could get her keitai number?

[homesweethome]

BTW, how old was the Obasan and is their any chance I could get her keitai number?

Sure let me introduce you to Obasan!



Yes she was (and still is) quite a tasty treat! I will PM you her number right away.

[Greji]

I will PM you her number right away.

Ahh, could you expedite that PM?

[homesweethome]

Ahh, could you expedite that PM?

I think I will keep this one in my own keitai (for legal reasons) since she is married to me(at the moment) and divorce is so mendokusai!

[Greji]

I think I will keep this one in my own keitai (for legal reasons) since she is married to me(at the moment) and divorce is so mendokusai!

Now that I have backspaced over all the things that I had written to post, I will say Wow, and I wouldnt give her number to anyone, let alone a moldy old pervert like me. You're a lucky man!