Whale for dinner

so I guess there is some demand for whale, or is it a figment of the imagination.

It's a figment! This is the best they can do. A banner, plates and no customers. The freezing works are busier.

When foreign countries noticed taste of whales just like tuna cuisine, they would start to eat all over the world. Whale cuisine is good or bad depends on cooking. Some people might have already eaten little bit kujira sushi unnoticed at sushi restaurant.

so I guess there is some demand for whale, or is it a figment of the imagination.

Having some demand doesn't justify it.

It seems some Japanese often go to whale restaurants but not many and some other Asian visitors go there. These restaurants would already have gone out of business if customers did not come. Heard that restaurants owners expect more customers would come in the near future.

Whale meat is outright disgusting! Whales are Mammals and not fish! There is no market for whale meat.

@YuriOtani

Whale meat is outright disgusting! Whales are Mammals and not fish! There is no market for whale meat.

I don't eat whale meat either, but just because they are mammals doesn't make them disgusting.

YuriOtani

There is no market for whale meat.

Whale meat is sold in the seafood section of almost every supermarket in the city I live in and is also on the the menu at most izakayas and sushi restaurants here. No market for it indeed...

Ever tried it? Doesn't taste great in my opinion

they are hunting whales for 'scientific' (according to them) and economic reasons,so ofcourse eating the meat too.

They're apparently going to stop killing whales in the Antarctic, basically admitting that all those years of 'scientific research' were no such thing; if it was really 'scientific research' to ascertain stocks for the resumption of commercial waling in the Antarctic, which is now (thankfully) not going to happen, Japan is admitting that all those thousands of whales who died horrible deaths under the harpoons (more often slow, excruciating death from bleeding or evisceration, or by rifle-shot), died for no reason at all.

There is/was also no 'of course' about eating the meat: most people in Japan never eat whale and it has to be force-fed to a captive audience in school dinners and old folks' homes in order to move stocks.

Hopefully it will not be 'Japan' that resumes whaling as a nationalised industry financed by taxes, as the 'scientific research' is, but private companies that will not be able to turn a profit and will eventually sink beneath the waves. I hope they sink before too many more whales die.

Whale meat is sold in the seafood section of almost every supermarket in the city I live in

I've never seen it on sale, except for the odd tin of 'yamato-ni' on the discount wagons many years ago. I've never seen it on the menu at any restaurant.

Then again, any restaurant that had it on the menu would never again have my patronage.

Whale meat just tastes bad. It is very fatty and not good for a person to eat.

Cleo

I've never seen it on sale, except for the odd tin of 'yamato-ni' on the discount wagons many years ago. I've never seen it on the menu at any restaurant.

You can find all the whale serving restaurants to avoid right here: https://www.e-kujira.or.jp/shop/?ca=13 Kind of torpedoes some of your anti-whaling compatriots' claim that there's NO market for whale meat and that NO ONE eats it by choice. You may not like the fact that there most certainly is a segment of the Japanese populace that consumes whale meat, yes by choice, both at home and when dining out, but you should be happy that it's a minority that's unlikely to drive widespread unsustainable domestic whaling.

Until now all the whale meat had been in freezers often for years. Those minke nabe packs always seemed dry and unappetising and whale yakinuku was never as nice as karubi. Also, different parts of the whale as the noren (hanging thing with whale on it) shows - but far more complex than that I would imagine.

I suppose there is always a market, but I am not in it.

At least going openly for commercial whaling brings Japanese voices back from the extended hypocrisy up to now.

there most certainly is a segment of the Japanese populace that consumes whale meat

A very, very small segment. On average each person in Japan eats just 30g of whalemeat per year, which spread over a population of 126.8 million is next to nothing. (By way of comparison, consumption of pork averages out at some 6,826g per person per year)

it's a minority that's unlikely to drive widespread unsustainable domestic whaling

Let's hope so.

I like to eat hamburger, fish burger,,,,,,,,,,, and kujira burger.

Cleo

Based on your figures, that comes to about 680 average sized mink whales per year. A little surprised that you consider that next to nothing.

Based on your figures, that comes to about 680 average sized mink whales per year. A little surprised that you consider that next to nothing.

I consider it 680 too many.

USNin - Current consumption rates are about 2,000 +/- tons a year or about 0.4% of all meat.

Yes - A market exists, but it's a very selective niche market with all indications that it is dwindling, not growing.

Whaling is a costly business and unless there was a large return to consumption, it will never be viewed as a profitable concern - esp if the tax payers funding to the annual tune of ￥100millions via Govt Gifts Inc ceases.

Also, a fact that I have not heard about recently is the Mother Ship Nisshin Maru is in a poor, outdated, dangerous condition and as such not suitable for the arduous voyages to Antarctica. Replacement costs could be in the ￥billions and who's gonna pay that? No One. Not the Govt, not the Whaling industry, not any sponsors or business entrepeneurs - No One. This is certainly a Big reason for the Oh So Magnanimous reason to stop venturing to the Deep South. No one wants to fork out the Big Yen for the sake of a relative handful of grills, bars and restaurants.

Yes - the market will probably always exist, but it's relevance will be miniscule.

I've eaten all kinds of funky + exotic meats - fish, fowl, and land creature. But I'd have reservations about eating something that's close to extinction. I don't like to play God over something like that. God gave us living things for our food and resources - but not to be wasted, and not to be exterminated to extinction.