Japan sells fin whales for the first time in 50 years, and no one eats them (6 photos)

Japan is hunting whales again. For the first time in 50 years, it has started catching a special kind of whale, the fin whale, off the northern coast. The first meat has already been sold – at auction it went for $1,300 per kilo.





What has happened to the whales all these years

In fact, Japan started killing whales even earlier. In 2019, it withdrew from the International Whaling Commission. But the fin whale was only added to the list of permitted species this year, all so that whalers would have more catch and meat.



Here's what a fin whale looks like, if you're interested

In 1976, the Commission recognized the fin whale as a species subject to protection from overhunting. But Japan recently announced that it had done its own calculations and said that the fin whale population in the North Pacific was sufficient to be hunted. Incidentally, they were almost exterminated off the coast of Japan several decades ago. But back then, it was difficult to accurately track the populations.





A new super-expensive whaling vessel has been launched

And all because after World War II, whale meat was an affordable source of protein for the malnourished population. Back then, everyone ate whales, in 1962 they caught a record 233,000 tons of whale meat. Compare that today, 2,000 tons are barely eaten, everyone prefers another type of meat.

Officials said that 30 whales were caught this season, half of the 60-member quota. Japan has set a total catch quota of 379 for three other whale species: minke whales, Bryde's whales, and sei whales.



It seems that only whalers are happy with all this action

And now the first 1.4 tons of fresh meat from several fin whales caught off Hokkaido have been sold.

And the most delicious meat is considered to be the tail of the fin whale, which is called onomi in Japan. And it is very expensive - 200,000 yen per kilogram.

And the larger the whale, the tastier and fatter the onomi.



Caught one whale - already a hundred tons of meat

In fact, few people want whales

Last year, Japanese whalers caught 294 minke whales, Bryde's whales and sei whales. That is, less than 80 percent of the quota! This is less than Japan used to kill in Antarctica and the northwestern Pacific Ocean as part of a research program.

Whaling officials attribute the decline in catch to climate change, but many say overhunting may be the cause.

To keep the whaling industry afloat, meat consumption needs to increase from 2,000 tons to 5,000. And that's pretty hard, meat is much more common and cheaper to eat, and the Japanese aren't in a rush to shell out. And meat hasn't become a delicacy, as everyone remembers that the country ate whales out of hunger.



Fish market auction

So they kill whales, but they don't know what to do with them yet. Only if other meats become more expensive will this make any sense other than being an obsession of the Japanese government.