Whale meat#Toxicity

File:Indian Whalers Stripping Their Prey at Neah Bay - 1910.jpg, 1910]]

File:Whale meat sold at the Bergen fish market 2012.jpg, Norway, in 2012]]

{{See also|History of whaling}}

Whales were hunted in European waters throughout the Middle Ages for their meat and oil.{{Harvnb|Lang|1988}} Larousse Gastronomique, p.1151, under "whale" According to Catholic practice at the time, aquatic creatures were generally considered "fish", therefore whale was deemed suitable for eating during Lent and other "lean periods".{{cite book|last=Burns|first=William E.|title=Science And Technology in Colonial America|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2005 |isbn=978-0-631-22141-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Af5kC1XYUy4C&pg=PA49 }}, An alternative explanation is that the Church considered "hot meat" to raise the libido, making it unfit for holy days. Parts submerged in water, such as whale or beaver tails, were considered "cold meat".{{sfn|Kurlansky|1999|p=62}} These practices were due to the laws of fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church.

Eating whale meat did not end with the Middle Ages in Europe, but rather, whale stock in nearby oceans collapsed due to overexploitation, especially the right whales around the Bay of Biscay.{{Harvnb|Baffin|1881}}, The voyages of William Baffin, 1612-1622, p.xxvi Thus European whalers (the Basques, especially, were known for their expertise) had to seek out the New World to catch whales.e.g. {{Harvnb|Baffin|1881}}. William Baffin's expedition is recorded as having Basque crew catching whales, though mostly the harvesting of fat and whalebone (baleen) from whales and the fat and teeth (ivory) from sea morse, i.e., walrus is described, and not much to say about eating The Dutch and Flemish were also active in the whaling commerce during the Middle Ages,{{sfn|De Smet|1981|pp=301-309}} and a number of records regarding the trafficking of whale meat and taxation on it occur from historical Flanders (extending to cities like Arras or Calais in the département of Pas-de-Calais).

French surgeon Ambroise Paré (died 1590) wrote that "the flesh has no value, but the tongue is soft and delicious and therefore salted; likewise, the blubber, which is distributed across many provinces, and eaten with peas during Lent".{{cite book |last=Paré|first=Ambroise|title=Oeuvres complètes |volume=3|place=Paris|publisher=Chez J.-B. Baillière |year=1841 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uevkKV1OEeYC&pg=PA779}}, "Le chair n'est rien estimée: mais la langue, parce qu'elle est molle et delicieuse, la sallent: semblablemaent le lard, lequel ils distribuent en beaucoup de prouinces, qu'on mange en Caresme aux pois: ils gardent la graisse pour brusler" This blubber, known as craspois or lard de carême,amended from craspols or lard de carème as given in {{Harvnb|Lang|1988}} Larousse Gastronomique, p.1151 was food for the poorer strata on the continent. The whaling industry in Canada and the United States may have supplied rendered fat, partly for consumption in Europe.

In early America, sailors onboard whalers may have eaten blubber after rendering, which they termed "cracklings" or "fritters", said to be crunchy like toast;{{Harvnb|Braginton-Smith|Oliver|2008}},p.21 these were certainly reused as fuel chips to boil down the fat.{{cite journal|last=Gray|first=(of the Greenland company)|title=Account of that Fishing (Whale-fishing), dated Nov. 4 ,1663|journal=The London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer|volume=25|date=March 1756|publisher=R. Baldwin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QBYrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA113}}, p.113 Colonial America also more commonly consumed the meat and other portions of the "blackfish" (or pilot whale). However, by the beginning of large-scale commercial whaling, whale meat was not consumed by the general American public, as it was not seen as fit for consumption by so-called civilized peoples.{{cite journal|last=Shoemaker|first=Nancy|title=Whale Meat in American History|journal=Environmental History|date=April 2005|volume=10|issue=2|page=269|url=http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/eac/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/3986115-1.pdf|access-date=5 February 2014|doi=10.1093/envhis/10.2.269|archive-date=17 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917023045/http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/eac/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/3986115-1.pdf|url-status=dead}}

Minke whale is one of the most common species still hunted in substantial numbers.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} Baleen whales other than the minke are endangered, though they are taken in numbers by indigenous peoples who traditionally hunt them, and more lately, the whaling nations have resumed hunting larger baleen whales openly.{{Citation needed|date=September 2014}}

In 1998–1999, Harvard researchers published their DNA identifications of samples of whale meat they obtained in the Japanese market, and found that mingled among the presumably legal (i.e. minke whale meat) was a sizeable proportion of dolphin and porpoise meats, and instances of endangered species such as fin whale and humpback whale. (Blue whale DNA was also detected in the study, but researchers have attributed those findings to crossbreeding with fin whales, and that view has since been strengthened.){{cite journal |last1=Palumbi|first1=S.R.|author-link1=Stephen R. Palumbi |last2=Cipriano|first2=F. |title=Species Identification Using Genetic Tools: The Value of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Gene Sequences in Whale Conservation |journal=Journal of Heredity|year=1998|volume=89|issue=5|pages=459– |url= http://jhered.oxfordjournals.org/content/89/5/459.full.pdf |doi=10.1093/jhered/89.5.459|pmid=9768497|doi-access=free}}

In recent years Japan has resumed taking North Pacific fin whale and sei whales in their research whaling. The fin whales are highly desired because they yield arguably the best quality of tail meat (onomi).{{Harvnb|Kershaw|1988}},p.67 Japanese research vessels refer to the harvested whale meat as incidental byproducts which have resulted from study.

In Japan, the research whale meat was sold at officially published prices,{{Harvnb|Ishihara|Yoshii|2000}} but since 2011 an auction bid system has been adopted{{citation|author=Institute of Cetacean Research|title=Nyūsatsu mōshikomi shoshiki 1: 4th round minke whale, 5th round sei whale of 18th N. Pacific district auction item list for general public (入札申込書式 １: 第4回 ミンク鯨、ニタリ鯨、第5回 イワシ鯨（18北） 入札品目一覧 （一般）)|publisher=Jtb publishing|year=2011|format=preview|url=http://www.icrwhale.org/pdf/iwashi05hinmokuippan.pdf}} and actual realized prices have not been posted.

The channels through which premium cuts such as fin whale tail meat are sold remain opaque. A report by one of the Tokyo Two (Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki), anti-whaling activists from Greenpeace, who intercepted whale meat package deliveries got no further than the sentiment by one restaurateur that it would take Nagatachō (i.e. high government) connections to get it.{{Cite report|last1=Sato|first1=Junichi|last2=Holden|first2=Sara|title=Greenpeace Investigation: Japan's Stolen Whale Meat Scandal|url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/PageFiles/25179/whale-meat-scandal-dossier.pdf|date=2008-05-15|access-date=2012-05-16|archive-date=2011-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008081426/http://www.greenpeace.org/international/PageFiles/25179/whale-meat-scandal-dossier.pdf|url-status=dead}}

File:Minke Whale sweet potatoes Duus Keflarvik.jpg meat with sweet potatoes (Iceland, 2017)]]

In places such as Norway, Iceland, and Alaska, whale meat may be served without seasoning. However, it can also be cured or marinated, or made into jerky.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7281989.stm |title=Why Japan persists in hunting whales |work=BBC News |date=2008-03-07 |access-date=2010-07-29}}

{{main|Whaling in Norway}}

In Norway, whale meat was a cheap and common food until the 1980s. It could be used in many ways but was often cooked in a pot with lid in a little water so that broth was created and then served with potatoes and vegetables, often with flatbrød at the side.

File:Whale meet 2.jpg

{{Main|Greenlandic cuisine}}

The consumption of whale meat by Greenlandic Inuit is part of their culture. However, in 2010, tourists also have begun to consume the meat. A Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) investigation has documented the practice of commercial wholesalers commissioning subsistence whalers to supply the demand by supermarkets. Whale products in Greenland are sold in 4-star hotels.{{cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100624005505&newsLang=en |title=Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society: Whales Intended for Subsistence in Greenland Are Sold in 4-Star Restaurants to Tourists |publisher=Business Wire |date=2010-06-24 |access-date=2010-08-11}}

{{Main|Whaling in Iceland}}

In a controversial and widely criticized move, Iceland has announced the renewal of a one-year permit allowing the resumption of commercial whaling activities. This decision has been met with significant disappointment and concern by environmental advocates and conservation groups worldwide.{{Cite web |title=Iceland will allow commercial whaling to resume in 'devastatingly disappointing' renewal of one-year permit |date=11 June 2024 |url=https://www.hsi.org/news-resources/iceland-will-allow-commercial-whaling-to-resume-in-devastatingly-disappointing-renewal-of-one-year-permit/ }}

File:Japanese Sashimi of Whale meat.jpg

File:ObakeWhale.jpg

File:Kujira(WhaleMeat)-Takashimaya-20101013.jpg Department Store in Osaka (2010)]]

File:鯨ベーコンイメージ2.JPG

File:Icelandic fin whale meat on sale in Japan.png, Hokkaido (2010)]]

File:Subsistencewhaling.png is flensed in Buckland, Alaska in 2007, valued for its muktuk which is an important source of vitamin C in the diet of some Inuit.{{cite journal|title=Vitamin C in the Diet of Inuit Hunters From Holman, Northwest Territories|last1=Geraci|first1=Joseph|last2=Smith|first2=Thomas|journal=Arctic|volume=32|issue=2|date=June 1979|pages=135–139|url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic32-2-135.pdf|doi=10.14430/arctic2611}}]]

{{Main|Whaling in Japan}}

Whales have been hunted for meat in Japan since before 800 AD. After World War II, due to damage to Japan's infrastructure, whale meat became an important source of proteins.{{cite web|last=Palmer |first=Brian |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2247583 |title=What Does Whale Taste Like? |publisher=Slate Magazine |date=11 March 2010 |access-date=2010-07-29}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bjreview.com.cn/world/txt/2007-12/28/content_93184.htm |title=A Whale of a Controversy |author=Yan Wei |publisher=Beijing Review |date=2008-01-03 |access-date=2010-07-29}}{{Harvnb|Heibonsha|1969}}, Kawashima's section of encyclopedia article

In modern-day Japan, two cuts of whale meat are usually created: the belly meat and the tail meat. In the early 19th century, 70 different cuts were known. People still call the belly and tail cuts by their special whale meat names; also, different parts of the body such as the tongue retain their jargon names (see below). The tail meat is not the same as the fluke (tail flipper), and they go by different names.

As previously mentioned, different cuts of whale meat have specialised names. The belly meat, in the striped bellows-like underbelly of baleen whales "from the lower jaw to the navel", is called {{Nihongo3||ウネス（畝須）|unesu}} and is known for being made into whale bacon.

The prized tail meat, called {{Nihongo3||尾の身|onomi}} or {{Nihongo3||尾肉|oniku}}, are two strips of muscle that run from the dorsal to the base of the fluke. The tail meat is regarded as marbled, and is eaten as sashimi or tataki. Masanori Hata (aka Mutsugorō), a zoologist author and animal shelter operator, has extolled the delicacy of the tail meat.{{cite web|url=http://mutsugoro-okoku.com/mutsutabete12-1.html|last=Hata|first=Masanori|work=連載 ムツゴロウの「食べて幸せ」タイトルメニュー|title=第十二回 クジラ、そしてサケの王 前篇 }} It can only be derived from larger baleen whales, and the fin whale's meat has been considered superior. When the ban on this species was in place and Japan ostensibly complied, what was claimed to be genuine fin whale was still available, and legitimized as "grandfathered" goods, i.e., frozen stock from animals caught when still legal. In the past when blue whale hunting was still conducted by all nations, its tail fin was served in Japan.

The other portions are labelled lean, or {{Nihongo|"red meat"|赤肉|akaniku}}, and command much lower prices than the tail.

The fluke or tail flipper is referred to as either {{Nihongo3||尾羽|oba}} or {{Nihongo3||尾羽毛|obake}}. After being cured in salt it is thinly sliced, scalded with hot water and rinsed, and served as sarashi kujira (pictured).

The tongue, called {{Nihongo3||さえずり|saezuri}}, is often processed and used in high-end oden. The fried skin after the blubber is called koro, and analogous to "fritter/crackling".

The equivalent Japanese Wikipedia whale meat article at 鯨肉 provides a more extensive list of whale tissues eaten, which includes the intestines, sex organs, and other offal.

• Harihari-nabe is a hot pot dish, consisting of whale meat boiled with mizuna.
• Sashimi of Abura-sunoko is striped layers of meat made from the root of the flippers.
• Udemono, consists of innards that have been boiled and sliced.{{cite web |url=http://luna.pos.to/whale/gen_cook.html |title=How to Cook Whale Meat |publisher=Luna.pos.to |access-date=2010-07-29 |archive-date=2010-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706100341/http://luna.pos.to/whale/gen_cook.html |url-status=dead }}

Some other dishes include cubed and grilled blubber, cartilage salads, and whale skin stew.

As of 2006, in Japan, 5,560 tons of whale meat worth ¥5.5 billion is sold in every year.{{cite web |date=2008-03-08 |url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080308a2.html |title=Greenpeace: Stores, eateries less inclined to offer whale |work=The Japan Times Online |access-date=2010-07-29}} The Japanese market has declined in recent years, with prices falling to $26 per kilogram in 2004, down $6 per kilogram from 1999.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/18/AR2005061800890.html |title=Reviving a Taste for Whale |author=Anthony Faiola |newspaper=Washington Post |date=2005-06-19 |access-date=2010-07-29}} Fluke meat can sell for over $200 per kilogram, over three times the price of belly meat.

Greenpeace has alleged that some of the meat on sale is illegally sourced. They have claimed that it has been illegally smuggled from crew members of research ships{{cite web |title=Whale meat in Japan |publisher=Greenpeace |date=8 January 2009 |url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/whaling/ending-japanese-whaling/whale-meat-in-japan/ |access-date=18 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121202130802/http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/whaling/ending-japanese-whaling/whale-meat-in-japan/ |archive-date=2 December 2012}} and that more meat is caught than can be consumed by humans, with up to 20% of 2004's catch going unsold.

In modern times, whale meat is rarely eaten in Japan. A 2005 poll commissioned by Greenpeace and conducted by the Nippon Research Centre found that 95% of Japanese people very rarely or never eat whale meat.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/2015/12/japanese-barely-eat-whale-whaling-big-deal/ | title=The Japanese Barely Eat Whale. So Why do They Keep Whaling? | magazine=Wired | last1=Zhang | first1=Sarah }}

{{Main|Inuit cuisine}}

For thousands of years, Alaska Natives in the Arctic have depended on whale meat. 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10549107 |title=Native Alaskans say oil drilling threatens way of life |work=BBC News |date=20 July 2010 |access-date=2010-08-11}}

Tikiġaġmiut, Iñupiat living on the coast of Alaska, 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.Pulu, Tupou L., Ruth Ramoth-Sampson, and Angeline Newlin. [http://www.alaskool.org/projects/traditionalife/WhalingAWOL/WHALING-English.html "Whaling: A Way of Life."] University of Alaska. 2004. Accessed 5 Feb 2014.

The skin and blubber, known as muktuk, taken from the bowhead, beluga, or narwhal is also valued, and is eaten raw or cooked. Mikigaq is the fermented whale meat.

{{Main|Whaling in the Faroe Islands|Faroese cuisine}}

Whaling in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic has been practiced since about the time of the first Norse settlements on the islands. Around 1,000 long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melaena) are killed annually, mainly during the summer.{{cite news|last=Nguyen|first=Vi |title=Warning over contaminated whale meat as Faroe Islands' killing continues|url=http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/687202/warning_over_contaminated_whale_meat_as_faroe_islands_killing_continues.html|newspaper=The Ecologist|date=26 November 2010|quote=The allegation came as it emerged that a record 1,115 pilot whales have been slaughtered on the Faroe Islands in 2010 so far - the largest quota recorded since 1996.}} The hunts, called "grindadráp" in Faroese, are organized on a community level.

Both the meat and blubber are stored and prepared in various ways, including Tvøst og spik. When fresh, the meat is often boiled. A part of Faroese cuisine, it can also be served as steak (grindabúffur). This dish comprises meat and blubber, which is salted and then boiled for an hour, served with potatoes. The meat can also be hung out to dry and then served in thin slivers. At parties some choose to serve "kalt borð" (cold table), which means a variety of cold food, which can include dried whale meat, dried blubber or blubber which is preserved in water with much salt in it, dried fish, dried sheep meat, etc. Traditionally, whale meat was preserved by hanging salted pieces (called "likkjur") outdoors under a roof to be dried in the wind. This method is still used today, particularly in villages. Today, both meat and blubber can also be stored in freezers.

In 2008, Faroe Islands Chief Medical Officer Høgni Debes Joensen and Pál Weihe of the Department of Public and Occupational Health recommended that pilot whales no longer be considered fit for human consumption due to the presence of DDT derivatives, PCBs and mercury in the meat. Their recommendation was based on research suggesting a correlation between mercury intake and the high rate of Parkinson's disease on the islands.{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:1GhCNszaC8EJ:www.whaling.fo/Files/Filer/whaling/pilot_whale_meat_and_blubber_-_info_note_%282%29%255B1%255D.pdf+P%C3%A1l+Weihe+and+H%C3%B8gni+Debes+Joensen&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiAHA2BPEdKi66uiNvqaFOwgtPRj-1ALlxyd138TMO4ib03recr4fq23cJZYle-S4lD1ksWSb0SlIfDQk3X3OY8trjxkcRmHKHOwBKJVbxHE5og1KMvpSPgcteg4id5mzZBQqKJ&sig=AHIEtbSeZnafDJVMJsJf1_h6psKHJ7_3sA |title=The consumption of pilot whale meat and blubber in the Faroes |publisher=Uttranrikisradid Ministry of Foreign Affairs |date=June 2009 |access-date=18 February 2012}}{{cite news |first=Debora |last=MacKenzie |date=28 November 2008 |title=Faroe islanders told to stop eating 'toxic' whales |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16159-faroe-islanders-told-to-stop-eating-toxic-whales.html |work=New Scientist |access-date=21 July 2009}} As of 1 June 2011, the Faroese Food and Veterinary Authority has advised Faroe Islanders not to eat the kidney or liver of pilot whales, not to consume more than one serving per month, and, for women and girls, to refrain from eating blubber if they plan to have children and to refrain from whale meat entirely if they are breastfeeding, pregnant or planning to conceive in the following three months.{{cite web|title=Contaminants and human health|url=http://www.whaling.fo/Default.aspx?ID=6771|publisher=Whales and whaling in the Faroe Islands|access-date=18 February 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208161324/http://www.whaling.fo/Default.aspx?ID=6771|archive-date=8 February 2012}}{{cite news|last=Moskvitch|first=Katia|title=Anti-whaling NGOs warn of 'contaminated' whale meat|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11113887|newspaper=BBC News|date=27 August 2010}}

{{Main|Whaling in the United Kingdom|Whaling in Scotland}}

During World War II the British Minister of Food introduced food rationing but allowed whale meat to be distributed 'off ration', i.e. without restriction. It was not popular because the smell whilst cooking was deemed 'unpleasant', and the taste was considered 'bland' even when spiced.{{cite web|url=http://www.cooksinfo.com/british-wartime-food|title=British Wartime Food|publisher=Cook's info Encyclopedia|access-date=22 Jul 2015}}

During the post-World War II period, corned whale meat was available as an unrationed alternative to other meats.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19510824&id=sS5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3uUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5246,5228771 Corned Whale] – The Spokesman-Review. Published 24 August 1951. Retrieved 10 July 2012. Sold under the name "whacon", the meat was described as "corned whale meat with its fishy flavour removed", and was almost identical to corned beef, except "brownish instead of red".[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59530720 "Whacon" not fishy] - The Mail. Published 30 June 1951. Retrieved 10 July 2012. The Food Ministry emphasised its high nutritional value.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59530720 Whacon for U.K. dinners] – The Sunday Times. Published 8 July 1951. Retrieved 10 July 2012.

{{See also|Mercury in fish}}

Tests have revealed that in whale meat sold in Japan, high levels of mercury and other toxins are present. A research study was conducted by Tetsuya Endo, Koichi Haraguchi and Masakatsu Sakata at the Hokkaido University found high levels of mercury in the organs of whales, particularly the liver. They stated that "Acute intoxication could result from a single ingestion" of liver. The study found that liver samples for sale in Japan contained, on average, 370 micrograms of mercury per gram of meat, 900 times the government's limit. Levels detected in kidneys and lungs were approximately 100 times higher than the limit.{{cite web|last=Coghlan|first=Andy|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2362-extreme-mercury-levels-revealed-in-whalemeat.html |title=Extreme mercury levels revealed in whalemeat |publisher=New Scientist |date=6 June 2002 |access-date=4 October 2010}} The effect is due to the animal's trophic level, however, rather than its size. This means that there is a significant difference between the mercury levels in toothed whales and baleen whales. The former have a much higher concentration as they feed from large fishes and mammals, while the latter feed from plankton.

A study done on children of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic showed neurological problems stemming from mothers consuming pilot whale meat during pregnancy.{{cite journal|title= Mercury in Fish|journal= Obstetrics & Gynecology|volume=115|issue=5|pages=1077–1078|date=May 2010|doi=10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181db2783|s2cid=546197}}

In 2008 the pro-whaling interest group High North Alliance suggested that the carbon footprint resulting from eating whale meat is substantially lower than that of beef. Greenpeace responded that "The survival of a species is more important than lower greenhouse gas emissions from eating it."{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL0340706220080304 |title=Eat whale and save the planet says Norwegian lobby |author=Alister Doyle |publisher=Reuters |date=4 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014211225/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2008/03/04/environment-climate-whaling-dc-idUKL0340706220080304 |archive-date=2012-10-14 |url-status=dead}} Many organizations, including Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, have criticised the whale trade for preying on endangered species, as studies have shown an alarming decrease in whale populations, which may significantly affect oceans and its foodchains, therefore, it may affect lives in the foreseeable future.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

{{Main|Anti-whaling}}

Groups such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have attempted to disrupt commercial whaling with varying degrees of success.{{cite web|last=Van Der Werf |first=Wietse |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2010/mar/25/sea-shepherd-japanese-whalers |title=Sea Shepherd seafarers battle sickness and Japanese whalers |work=The Guardian |date=25 March 2010 |access-date=18 February 2012}}

• Sustainable seafood
• Food and drink prohibitions
• Subsistence hunting of the bowhead whale
• Whaling in Argentina
• Whaling in Chile
• Whaling in Madagascar
• Whaling in New Zealand
• Whaling on the Pacific Northwest Coast
• Whaling in the Philippines
• Whaling in Seychelles
• Whaling in South Africa
• Whaling in the Soviet Union and Russia
• Whaling in Western Australia

{{Reflist|32em}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite book|last=Lang|first=Jennifer Harvey|title=Larousse Gastronomique: The New American edition|publisher=Crown Publishing|year=1988 |isbn=978-0-517-57032-6|title-link=Larousse Gastronomique}}
• {{cite book|last=Kurlansky|first=Mark|title=The Basque History of the World|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA|year=1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TLyhSiCZpZUC&pg=PT62|isbn=978-080-271349-0}}
• {{cite book|last=Kalland|first=Arne|title=Unveiling the Whale: Discourses on Whales and Whaling|publisher=Berghahn Books|year=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RVGetkfz2mgC&pg=PA166|isbn=978-184-545581-1}}
• {{cite book|last=Baffin|first=William |title=The voyages of William Baffin, 1612-1622|publisher=Hakluyt Society|year=1881 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_pmcMAAAAIAAJ}}, Clements R. Markham (ed., notes, intro.)
• {{cite book|last1=Braginton-Smith|first1=John|last2=Oliver |first2=Duncan|year=2008|title=Cape Cod Shore Whaling: America's First Whalemen |place=Charleston, SC |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hgmm3DaYqK4C&pg=PA21 |publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-159-629429-5}}
• {{cite book|last=De Smet|first=W. M. A.|chapter=Evidence of Whaling in the North Sea and English Channel during the Middle Ages |title=Mammals in the Seas: General papers and large Cetaceans|editor=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |publisher=Chez J.-B. Baillière |year=1981|orig-year=1841|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BKaUpfo2XCUC&pg=PA301 |isbn=9789251005132|pages=301–099}}
• {{cite book|author=Heibonsha|title=世界百科事典(Sekai hyakka jiten)|orig-year=1968|year=1969}} (world encyclopedia, in Japanese), vol. 7, under kujira (whale); food use section by Shiro Kawashima (川島四郎)
• {{cite web |last1=Ishihara |first1=Akiko |last2=Yoshii |first2=Junichi |title=A Survey of the Commercial Trade in Whale Meat Products in Japan |publisher=TRAFFIC East Asia-Japan |date=June 2000 |url=http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/traffic_species_mammals3.pdf |access-date=April 6, 2019}}
• {{cite book|last=Kershaw|first=A. P.|title=Northern environmental disturbances|publisher=Boreal Institute for Northern Studies, University of Alberta|year=1988 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N0SAAAAAMAAJ|isbn=978-091-905869-9}}
• {{cite book|author=Boreal Institute for Northern Studies|title=Small-type coastal whaling in Japan: report of an international workshop |publisher=Boreal Institute for Northern Studies, University of Alberta|year=1988 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M4wRAAAAYAAJ|isbn= 978-091905-875-0}} (expanded on Kershaw's piece above)

{{Refend}}

• Mutsuko Ohnishi (1995), "Mrs. Ohnishi's Whale Cuisine", Kodansha, {{ISBN|4-06-207579-2}}
• {{cite journal|last1=Shoemaker|first1=Nancy|last2=Cipriano |first2=F.|title=Whale Meat in American History |journal=Environmental History |volume=10|number=2 |date=Apr 2005|pages=269–294|publisher=Forest History Society|doi=10.1093/envhis/10.2.269 |jstor=3986115 |s2cid=143585456}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10662435 BBC News report: Whale meat at annual festival]
• [http://luna.pos.to/whale/gen_cook.html Images of whale meat dishes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706100341/http://luna.pos.to/whale/gen_cook.html |date=2010-07-06 }}
• [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v414/n6863/abs/414537a.html Demography of the endangered North Atlantic right whale] - Letter published in Nature November 2001

{{Whaling|state=expanded}}

{{Meat|state=expanded}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Whale Meat}}

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