Marine mammals as food

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Since 1990, over 100 countries have allowed people to eat up to 87 marine mammal species, including Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins Humpback dolphin.jpg
Since 1990, over 100 countries have allowed people to eat up to 87 marine mammal species, including Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins

Marine mammals are a food source in many countries around the world. Historically, they were hunted by coastal people, and in the case of aboriginal whaling, still are. This sort of subsistence hunting was on a small scale and produced only localised effects. Dolphin drive hunting continues in this vein, from the South Pacific to the North Atlantic. The commercial whaling industry and the maritime fur trade, which had devastating effects on marine mammal populations, did not focus on the animals as food, but for other resources, namely whale oil and seal fur.

Contents

Today, the consumption of marine mammals is much reduced. However, a 2011 study found that the number of humans eating them, from a surprisingly wide variety of species, is increasing. [1] According to the study's lead author, Martin Robards, "Some of the most commonly eaten animals are small cetaceans like the lesser dolphins... That was a surprise since only a decade ago there had only been only scattered reports of this happening". [2]

History

Historically, marine mammals were hunted by coastal aboriginal humans for food and other resources. The effects of this were only localised as hunting efforts were on a relatively small scale. [3] Later, commercial hunting was developed and marine mammals were heavily exploited. This led to the extinction of the Steller's Sea Cow and the Caribbean monk seal. [3] Today, populations of species that were historically hunted, such as blue whales Balaenoptera musculus and B. m. brevicauda), and the North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica), are much lower compared to their pre-exploited levels. [4] Because whales generally have slow growth rates, are slow to reach sexual maturity, and have a low reproductive output, population recovery has been very slow. [5] Despite the fact commercial whaling is generally a thing of the past since the passage of the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling, a number of marine mammals are still subject to direct hunting. The only remaining commercial hunting of whales is by Norway where several hundred northeastern North Atlantic minke whales are harvested each year, and Iceland, which takes approximately 150 North Atlantic fin whales and less than 50 minke whales each year. Japan also harvests several hundred Antarctic and North Pacific minke whales each year under the guise of scientific research. [4] However, the illegal trade of whale and dolphin meat is a significant market in some countries. [6] Seals and sealions are also still hunted in some areas such as Canada.

Overview

ObakeWhale.jpg
The fluke (tail) of a whale thinly sliced, rinsed and topped with vinegar-miso sauce
Dolphin Sashimi.jpg
Dolphin sashimi

For thousands of years, Arctic people have depended on whale meat. In Alaska now, the meat is harvested from legal, non-commercial hunts that occur twice a year in the spring and autumn. The meat is stored and eaten throughout the winter. [7] Coastal Alaska Natives divided their catch into 10 sections. The fatty tail, considered to be the best part, went to the captain of the conquering vessel, while the less-desired sections were given to his crew and others that assisted with the kill. [8] The skin and blubber (muktuk) taken from the bowfin, beluga, or narwhal is also valued, and is eaten raw or cooked.

In recent years Japan resumed hunting for whales, which they call "research whaling". Japanese research vessels refer to the harvested whale meat as incidental byproducts resulting from lethal study. In 2006, 5,560 tons of whale meat was sold for consumption. [9] In modern-day Japan, two cuts of whale meat are usually distinguished: the belly meat and the tail or fluke meat. Fluke meat can sell for $200 per kilogram, over three times the price of belly meat. [8] Fin whales are particularly desired because they are thought to yield the best quality fluke meat. [10]

In some parts of the world, such as Taiji in Japan and the Faroe Islands, dolphins are traditionally considered food, and are killed in harpoon or drive hunts. [11] Whaling has also been practiced in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic since about the time of the first Norse settlements on the islands. Around 1000 Long-finned pilot whales are still killed annually, mainly during the summer. [12]

Dolphin meat is consumed in a small number of countries world-wide, which include Japan [13] and Peru (where it is referred to as chancho marino, or "sea pork"). [14] While Japan may be the best-known and most controversial example, only a very small minority of the population has ever sampled it.

In Taiwan, demand for dolphin meat still exists. Despite laws banning the slaughter of dolphins and jail-time consequences for anyone who consumes dolphin meat, as many as 1,000 dolphins are killed by Taiwanese fishermen each year. [15]

Dolphin meat is dense and such a dark shade of red as to appear black. Fat is located in a layer of blubber between the meat and the skin. When dolphin meat is eaten in Japan, it is often cut into thin strips and eaten raw as sashimi , garnished with onion and either horseradish or grated garlic, much as with sashimi of whale or horse meat (basashi). When cooked, dolphin meat is cut into bite-size cubes and then batter-fried or simmered in a miso sauce with vegetables. Cooked dolphin meat has a flavor very similar to beef liver. [16] Dolphin meat is high in mercury, and may pose a health danger to humans when consumed. [17]

Ringed seals were once the main food staple for the Inuit. They are still an important food source for the people of Nunavut [18] and are also hunted and eaten in Alaska. Seal meat is an important source of food for residents of small coastal communities. [19] Meat is sold to the Asian pet food market; in 2004, only Taiwan and South Korea purchased seal meat from Canada. [20] The seal blubber is used to make seal oil, which is marketed as a fish oil supplement. In 2001, two percent of Canada's raw seal oil was processed and sold in Canadian health stores. [21] There has been virtually no market for seal organs since 1998. [19] Archaeological evidence indicates that for thousands of years, indigenous peoples have also hunted sea otters for food and fur. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cetacea</span> Infraorder of mammals

Cetacea is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel themselves through the water with powerful up-and-down movement of their tail which ends in a paddle-like fluke, using their flipper-shaped forelimbs to maneuver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaling</span> Hunting of whales

Whaling is the hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16th century, it had become the principal industry in the Basque coastal regions of Spain and France. The whaling industry spread throughout the world and became very profitable in terms of trade and resources. Some regions of the world's oceans, along the animals' migration routes, had a particularly dense whale population and became targets for large concentrations of whaling ships, and the industry continued to grow well into the 20th century. The depletion of some whale species to near extinction led to the banning of whaling in many countries by 1969 and to an international cessation of whaling as an industry in the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale</span> Informal group of large marine mammals

Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and porpoises. Dolphins and porpoises may be considered whales from a formal, cladistic perspective. Whales, dolphins and porpoises belong to the order Cetartiodactyla, which consists of even-toed ungulates. Their closest non-cetacean living relatives are the hippopotamuses, from which they and other cetaceans diverged about 54 million years ago. The two parvorders of whales, baleen whales (Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti), are thought to have had their last common ancestor around 34 million years ago. Mysticetes include four extant (living) families: Balaenopteridae, Balaenidae, Cetotheriidae, and Eschrichtiidae. Odontocetes include the Monodontidae, Physeteridae, Kogiidae, and Ziphiidae, as well as the six families of dolphins and porpoises which are not considered whales in the informal sense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine mammal</span> Mammals that rely on marine environments for feeding

Marine mammals are mammals that rely on marine (saltwater) ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, sea otters and polar bears. They are an informal group, unified only by their reliance on marine environments for feeding and survival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blubber</span> Thick layer of animal body fat

Blubber is a thick layer of vascularized adipose tissue under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds, penguins, and sirenians. It was present in many marine reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minke whale</span> Species of whale

The minke whale, or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common minke whale and the Antarctic minke whale. The minke whale was first described by the Danish naturalist Otto Fabricius in 1780, who assumed it must be an already known species and assigned his specimen to Balaena rostrata, a name given to the northern bottlenose whale by Otto Friedrich Müller in 1776. In 1804, Bernard Germain de Lacépède described a juvenile specimen of Balaenoptera acuto-rostrata. The name is a partial translation of Norwegian minkehval, possibly after a Norwegian whaler named Meincke, who mistook a northern minke whale for a blue whale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale watching</span> Viewing cetaceans in their habitats

Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity, but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes. A study prepared for International Fund for Animal Welfare in 2009 estimated that 13 million people went whale watching globally in 2008. Whale watching generates $2.1 billion per annum in tourism revenue worldwide, employing around 13,000 workers. The size and rapid growth of the industry has led to complex and continuing debates with the whaling industry about the best use of whales as a natural resource.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toothed whale</span> Parvorder of cetaceans

The toothed whales are a parvorder of cetaceans that includes dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales possessing teeth, such as the beaked whales and sperm whales. 73 species of toothed whales are described. They are one of two living groups of cetaceans, the other being the baleen whales (Mysticeti), which have baleen instead of teeth. The two groups are thought to have diverged around 34 million years ago (mya).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dall's porpoise</span> Species of porpoise endemic to the North Pacific

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaling in the Faroe Islands</span> Faroese drive hunting of whales and dolphins

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aboriginal whaling</span> Hunting of whales by indigenous people

Aboriginal whaling or indigenous whaling is the hunting of whales by indigenous peoples recognised by either IWC or the hunting is considered as part of indigenous activity by the country. It is permitted under international regulation, but in some countries remains a contentious issue. It is usually considered part of the subsistence economy. In some places, whaling has been superseded by whale watching instead. This article deals with communities that continue to hunt; details about communities that have ended the practice may be found in History of whaling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaling in Japan</span> Commercial hunting of whales by the Japanese fishing industry

Japanese whaling, in terms of active hunting of whales, is estimated by the Japan Whaling Association to have begun around the 12th century. However, Japanese whaling on an industrial scale began around the 1890s when Japan started to participate in the modern whaling industry, at that time an industry in which many countries participated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of whaling</span> History of whale hunting and the trade of whale-derived commodities

This article discusses the history of whaling from prehistoric times up to the commencement of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. Whaling has been an important subsistence and economic activity in multiple regions throughout human history. Commercial whaling dramatically reduced in importance during the 19th century due to the development of alternatives to whale oil for lighting, and the collapse in whale populations. Nevertheless, some nations continue to hunt whales even today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolphin drive hunting</span> Method of hunting dolphins

Dolphin drive hunting, also called dolphin drive fishing, is a method of hunting dolphins and occasionally other small cetaceans by driving them together with boats, usually into a bay or onto a beach. Their escape is prevented by closing off the route to the open sea or ocean with boats and nets. Dolphins are hunted this way in several places around the world including the Solomon Islands, the Faroe Islands, Peru, and Japan, which is the most well-known practitioner of the method. In large numbers dolphins are mostly hunted for their meat; some end up in dolphinariums.

Whaling in Norway involves hunting of minke whales for use as animal and human food in Norway and for export to Japan. Whale hunting has been a part of Norwegian coastal culture for centuries, and commercial operations targeting the minke whale have occurred since the early 20th century. Some still continue the practice in the modern day, within annual quotas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale meat</span> Flesh of whales used for consumption by humans or other animals

Whale meat, broadly speaking, may include all cetaceans and all parts of the animal: muscle (meat), organs (offal), skin (muktuk), and fat (blubber). There is relatively little demand for whale meat, compared to farmed livestock. Commercial whaling, which has faced opposition for decades, continues today in very few countries, despite whale meat being eaten across Western Europe and colonial America previously. However, in areas where dolphin drive hunting and aboriginal whaling exist, marine mammals are eaten locally as part of a subsistence economy: the Faroe Islands, the circumpolar Arctic, other indigenous peoples of the United States, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, some of villages in Indonesia and in certain South Pacific islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale conservation</span> Conservation of whales

Whale conservation refers to the conservation of whales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drift whale</span> Whale that died at sea and floated to shore

A drift whale is a cetacean mammal that has died at sea and floated into shore. This is in contrast to a beached or stranded whale, which reaches land alive and may die there or regain safety in the ocean. Most cetaceans that die, from natural causes or predators, do not wind up on land; most die far offshore and sink deep to become novel ecological zones known as whale falls. Some species that wash ashore are scientifically dolphins, i.e. members of the family Delphinidae, but for ease of use, this article treats them all as "drift whales". For example, one species notorious for mass strandings is the pilot whale, also known as "blackfish", which is taxonomically a dolphin.

Whaling in Canada encompasses both aboriginal and commercial whaling, and has existed on all three Canadian oceans, Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic. The indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast have whaling traditions dating back millennia, and the hunting of cetaceans continues by Inuit. By the late 20th century, watching whales was a more profitable enterprise than hunting them.

References

  1. 1 2 Robards MD and Reeves RR (2011) "The global extent and character of marine mammal consumption by humans: 1970–2009" Biological Conservation, 144(12): 2770–2786.
  2. ↑ Edible Marine Mammals: Study Finds 87 Species Are Eaten Around The World Huffington Post. Updated: 27 January 2012.
  3. 1 2 Berta, A & Sumich, J. L. (1999) Marine mammals: evolutionary biology. San Diego: Academic Press ISBN   0-12-093225-3
  4. 1 2 Clapham, P. J., Young, S. B. & Brownel Jr, R. L. (1999) "Baleen whales: conservation issues and the status of the most endangered populations" Mammal Rev. 29(1): 35–60. doi : 10.1046/j.1365-2907.1999.00035.x
  5. ↑ Whitehead, H., Reeves, R. R. & Tyack, P. L. (1999) Science and the conversation, protection, and management of wild cetaceans (eds) J. Mann, R. C. Connor, P.L Tyack & H Whitehead in Cetacean societies : field studies of dolphins and whales. Chicago : University of Chicago Press ISBN   0-226-50340-2
  6. ↑ Baker, C. S., Cipriano, F. & Palumbi, S. R. (1996) "Molecular genetic identification of whale and dolphin products from commercial markets in Korea and Japan" Molecular Ecology 5: 671-685
  7. ↑ "Native Alaskans say oil drilling threatens way of life". BBC News. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  8. 1 2 Palmer, Brian (11 March 2010). "What Does Whale Taste Like?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  9. ↑ "Greenpeace: Stores, eateries less inclined to offer whale". The Japan Times Online. 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  10. ↑ Kershaw, A. P. (1988). Northern environmental disturbances. Boreal Institute for Northern Studies, University of Alberta. p. 67. ISBN   978-091-905869-9.
  11. ↑ Matsutani, Minoru (September 23, 2009). "Details on how Japan's dolphin catches work". Japan Times. p. 3.
  12. ↑ Nguyen, Vi (26 November 2010). "Warning over contaminated whale meat as Faroe Islands' killing continues". The Ecologist.
  13. ↑ McCurry, Justin (2009-09-14). "Dolphin slaughter turns sea red as Japan hunting season returns". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  14. ↑ Hall, Kevin G. (2003). "Dolphin meat widely available in Peruvian stores: Despite protected status, 'sea pork' is popular fare". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 7 December 2010.[ dead link ]
  15. ↑ Sui, Cindy (2014-04-03). "Why Taiwan's illegal dolphin meat trade thrives". BBC. London. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  16. ↑ イルカの味噌根菜煮 [Dolphin in Miso Vegetable Stew]. Cookpad (in Japanese). 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  17. ↑ Johnston, Eric (September 23, 2009). "Mercury danger in dolphin meat". Japan Times. p. 3.
  18. ↑ "Eskimo Art, Inuit Art, Canadian Native Artwork, Canadian Aboriginal Artwork". Inuitarteskimoart.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  19. 1 2 "Canadian Seal Hunt Attacked by PETA". The Port City Post. 2009-06-11. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
  20. ↑ "Seal Hunt Facts". Sea Shepherd. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
  21. ↑ 5 Forslag til tiltak Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine (Norwegian), Government of Norway, March, 2001
  22. ↑ Silverstein, p. 34
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