Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 10, 2008 4:19:42 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Japanese Dolphin Cuisine: Cruelty or Culture?

Posted Feb 12, 08 10:35 AM CST in Science & Health,  World 

(Newser) – One activist calls the Japanese city of Taiji "ground zero for the largest slaughter of dolphins on planet Earth," but locals want him and his cohorts to mind their own business. Residents of Taiji have been eating dolphin meat for hundreds of years and say they have as much right to do so as Westerners have to eat beef, CNN reports.

"I understand that they think the dolphin is a cute animal," says a fish merchant, "but it is our culture to eat dolphins." The issue may not turn on a society's right to practice ancient traditions, however: Taiji's schools stopped serving dolphin after a city council member raised concerns about high mercury levels in the flesh.

Source CNN

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • 'Sushi Capital' Japan Isn't Sweating Tuna Scare

    Jan 27, 08 5:35 AM CST
    'Sushi Capital' Japan Isn't Sweating Tuna Scare New Yorkers may be in the throes of a sushi scare after the Times reported on the dangerous mercury levels in tuna, but the Japanese aren't batting an eyelid. One official's biggest concern was that the controversy would ignite "groundless rumors" about a healthy food, AP reports. "We're not talking about eating 10 tuna sushi every day—in which case I might be a little worried," said one sushi lover. More »

Junichiro Yamashita, a city councilman spearheading the anti-hunt movement, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Taiji, Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008. Yamashita convinced schools to...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, fishermen work on a boat filled with freshly caught dolphins as a diver lifts a tail from the blood-filled water in the fishing town of Taiji...   (Associated Press)
A small dolphin monument rests at the gateway to the town of Taiji, Japan, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008. Animal rights protesters have come to this craggy Japanese fishing village for years to stop the annual...   (Associated Press)
Boats are anchored at a port as a giant whale monument is seen in the distance in Taiji, Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008. Animal rights protesters have come to this craggy Japanese fishing village for...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 3)

Tags

Japan  • dolphin  • mercury


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »