Fri, 28 May 2010 1:30p.m.
Opinion by Melissa Davies
I was offered the chance to eat whale this evening.
It’s not an opportunity I was excited to receive, but contrary to common perception, nor is it an opportunity that many Japanese would accept.
An English reporter based here in Tokyo told me there is very little coverage of whaling stories, and therefore the Japanese do not understand the extent to which it exists and the conservation issues that arise.
While a lack of coverage certainly seems to be true, I find the latter hard to accept.
I have not spoken to a single Japanese person who has said they’re not concerned about the conservation of Whales. Their concern though, is equally about the conservation of culture.
One woman told me that the consumption of whale meat in Japan originated post World War II as a necessary protein source. Now, it is mostly only eaten by the older generation who were brought up on it.
You will not find whale meat in the supermarket aisles next to the milk and bread. If you want to find whale meat in Japan you have to go searching.
The protesters outside the Pete Bethune trial carried banners with slogans saying Japanese food customs must be protected from the West.
The relatively small but vocal group have an efficient protesting regime. They turned up at 8am as the public (but I imagine more importantly to them – the media) were arriving at court.
They had a captive audience for the two hours until the trial began, but as soon as the cameras were gone so too were the protesters.
They are protesters protesting about another man’s protest.
However, it is not simply the act of protest that the Japanese condemn in the matter of Pete Bethune.
Several people have told me their concern is over the manner in which Sea Shepherd work. They think it is too aggressive.
Sea Shepherd on the other hand says Bethune’s actions have led to a successful reduction in the number of whales caught this season. The whalers fell short of their quota by 428 whales.
In 1986 Japan agreed to a global moratorium to abandon commercial whaling but it still hunts under a research programme agreement. The whales are then sold on the commercial market.
The owner of a restaurant that serves whale meat told me they never have any issue with lack of supply.
He says they serve 40 different whale meat dishes and use all parts of the whale,
from the brain to the tail.
I was offered the chance to eat whale this evening.. but I declined that offer.