Maybe not so tasty after all...

Whale meat off the menu.

Well, kind of. The largest seller of whalemeat in Japan has announced that it will stop doing so. It says it is purely commercial, based on the decline of whale meat sales in Japan.

Campaigners say it was because they targeted its world-wide subsidiaries.

The Japanese government says whaling will now be a national interest, not a private, commercial interest.

Victory! Yay!

from the source:

Japan insists that efforts to hunt whales will be redoubled. From now on, whaling will be seen as something backed by the whole of Japan, not just private firms, an official said.

All of Japan, huh? Is that why the price of whale meat has fallen (supply and demand, I seem to remember my economics teacher calling it all those years ago!) and in a bid to save the industy's future the government put whale meat into school tuckshops.

"Not Petfood" say Japanese!

from the source:

The WDCS says demand from Japan's human population is running some way behind the recently expanded supply.

The conservation group quotes research showing that the price of meat from Bryde's Whales has halved over the last five years, with other species falling as well.

So, whaling is becoming unprofitable...

Aussie source (for good measure)

from the source:

Nissui says it made the decision because the products are not profitable

But I thought it was supported by all of Japan...

All I can say is...GOOD. It's about damn time.

[edit on 4-4-2006 by HowlrunnerIV]

Im a bit surprised actually. Pleased, but surprised they would stop.

I had the oppurtunity to taste whale when I was in Kotzebue for a job interview with the ALaska native Indian health Service. Its north of the artic circle and man it was cold.

At anyrate whale was actually pretty good. The red portion of the meat tasted like really well marbled beef. The blubber which was boiled tasted pretty bad actually