The Japanese eat the whales. The meat is sold in Japanese markets and in a
few Japanese restaurants. It is not very common and is very expensive. The
bone is ground up for fertilizer. After WW II, the Americans encouraged the
Japanese to eat whale meat and it was on all the school lunches. At that
time nearly every person in Japan was eating it, but today it is only a very
small percentage, and many young people have never tried whale meat.
Even in Japan, whaling is a small business compared to what it was in the
mid 20th century...most of it is done by coastal whalers working in Japanese
waters and by fishermen who hunt dolphins and other small toothed whales
(this can also be considered a kind of whaling). Also, the Japanese take
whales on the high seas in the Antarctic and in the North Pacific as part of
their 'scientific research'. Many countries don't agree that this is valid
scientific research because you don't need to kill whales to study them. The
meat from the scientific hunts is also sold to the markets in Tokyo....
----------
From: "Pam Greenman" <pamgreenman@bellingham-marine.com>
To: <erich.hoyt@virgin.net>, <pita@whale.wheelock.edu>
Subject: Why do the Japanese hunt whales?
Date: Thu, Dec 4, 2003, 12:23 AM
We know they dont need whale oil for lamps. What do they do with the whales
they kill?
Claire Greenman
Greenwood School
Jacksonville, FL
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