Content Warning: This article discusses sensitive content and includes images of dolphins being killed and sold for their meat. Reader discretion is advised.

Buying food online is meant to save us time, money, and the unavoidable hassle of going to the supermarket.

Additionally, it allows us to access a wide variety of global food options with just a few clicks, all from the comfort of our homes.

However, this convenience comes at a cost—a concern that a nearby conservation group is currently alerting us.

Action for Dolphins (AFD), an organisation dedicated to preserving the lives and habitats of dolphins, recently released the results of tests conducted on dolphin meat.

The conservation group bought dolphin meat online from a Japanese company in Taiji, which was tested in a Japanese laboratory.

The tests revealed that the dolphin meat contained mercury levels 265 times higher than Japan's regulatory limit.

High mercury levels in Japanese website-sold dolphin meat led to a consumer warning campaign. Image source: Facebook

This prompted a demand for warning labels and the removal of the meat from sale.

The offal from Risso's dolphins had the highest mercury levels, and even in the case of melon-headed whale meat, the mercury content exceeded the allowable limit by 16 times.

The findings followed the country’s resumption of dolphin hunting in September, which involved a large-scale ocean-based operation located in the city of Taiji, situated to the south of Osaka.

AFD has examined various meat samples dating as far back as 2020.

‘These are the highest mercury results we have ever seen. Especially if consumed frequently, this meat poses a serious threat to human health and should be removed from sale,’ said its Australian-based CEO Hannah Tait.

AFD’s attempts to engage Japanese authorities have faced challenges, prompting a shift in focus to educating consumers about the risks of consuming dolphin meat.

Video source: Facebook/@RicOBarrysDolphinProject​

Japan is among a small number of countries that still permit the harvesting of wild dolphins and whales for their meat.

Another such nation is the Faroe Islands, but their authorities adopt a more cautious stance by advising children, pregnant women, and individuals in general to limit their consumption of this meat.

‘In Japan, anyone can buy it online but there are no health warnings on the meat that there are such unbelievably high levels of mercury,’ Tait added.

‘We’d like to see it removed from sale because it’s been consistently shown to have high levels of mercury.’

Mercury’s effects on humans

Mercury, a naturally occurring element in the environment, can be found in air, water, and soil.

Minimal exposure to mercury can lead to serious health issues by adversely affecting various bodily systems, including the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, as well as the lungs, kidneys, skin, and eyes.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers mercury one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern.

Key Takeaways

• Testing of dolphin meat bought online from a Japanese company found it contains mercury levels 265 times the country’s regulatory limit.
• The meat was bought online by the conservation group Action for Dolphins, which has found increasingly high levels of mercury in their tests since 2020.
• Despite attempts by the group, Japanese authorities have not taken action.

Members, have any of you tried dolphin meat, or do you want to try it? What does it taste like? Share your experiences in the comments below!

 

[Wandiwa]

How can it be legally sold if it contains mercury levels 265 times the country’s regulatory limit?

 

[Littleboy8]

How can it be legally sold if it contains mercury levels 265 times the country’s regulatory limit?

I can’t imagine eating flipper

 

[mOiOz]

The cruelty alone is enough for me to say NEVER!
But,... has anyone ever seen what mercury poison can do...?
I saw footage of it in my teens when it was occurring from polluted rivers in parts of Africa,
It's the most horrific, cruel and lingering death imaginable!!!
Also known as the "Laughing Death" (laughing is a side-effect that occurs while dying).
My opinion, as an animal lover, anyone who contracts it knowingly from dolphin meat, deserves it!

 

[Littleboy8]

The cruelty alone is enough for me to say NEVER!
But,... has anyone ever seen what mercury poison can do...?
I saw footage of it in my teens when it was occurring from polluted rivers in parts of Africa,
It's the most horrific, cruel and lingering death imaginable!!!
Also known as the "Laughing Death" (laughing is a side-effect that occurs while dying).
My opinion, as an animal lover, anyone who contracts it knowingly from dolphin meat, deserves it!

AbsolutelyI once saw a quick snippet of Japanese men pounding on the water to round up wild dolphins to be food in restaurants it was horrible and very confronting.and people saying how yummy it was it made me want to puke.and the noise of them crying was heartbreaking. I think it was on world news quite a few years ago.

 

[mOiOz]

AbsolutelyI once saw a quick snippet of Japanese men pounding on the water to round up wild dolphins to be food in restaurants it was horrible and very confronting.and people saying how yummy it was it made me want to puke.

Well said!

 

[MariaG]

All for the dollar.
Please ... not the dolphins. Another gentle being on the road to becoming an endangered species.
They, and other whale hunters, managed to almost obliterate certain whales, now we see the dolphins as another target.
It makes me sad.

 

[mOiOz]

All for the dollar.
Please ... not the dolphins. Another gentle being on the road to becoming an endangered species.
They, and other whale hunters, managed to almost obliterate certain whales, now we see the dolphins as another target.
It makes me sad.

Thank you.

 

[Observer]

and not only that, just looking at it is enough to turn me off from eating it. Wouldn't care if it was a delicacy or not.

 

[Tygie]

Content Warning: This article discusses sensitive content and includes images of dolphins being killed and sold for their meat. Reader discretion is advised.

Buying food online is meant to save us time, money, and the unavoidable hassle of going to the supermarket.

Additionally, it allows us to access a wide variety of global food options with just a few clicks, all from the comfort of our homes.

However, this convenience comes at a cost—a concern that a nearby conservation group is currently alerting us.

Action for Dolphins (AFD), an organisation dedicated to preserving the lives and habitats of dolphins, recently released the results of tests conducted on dolphin meat.

The conservation group bought dolphin meat online from a Japanese company in Taiji, which was tested in a Japanese laboratory.

The tests revealed that the dolphin meat contained mercury levels 265 times higher than Japan's regulatory limit.

View attachment 33826

High mercury levels in Japanese website-sold dolphin meat led to a consumer warning campaign. Image source: Facebook

This prompted a demand for warning labels and the removal of the meat from sale.

The offal from Risso's dolphins had the highest mercury levels, and even in the case of melon-headed whale meat, the mercury content exceeded the allowable limit by 16 times.

The findings followed the country’s resumption of dolphin hunting in September, which involved a large-scale ocean-based operation located in the city of Taiji, situated to the south of Osaka.

AFD has examined various meat samples dating as far back as 2020.

‘These are the highest mercury results we have ever seen. Especially if consumed frequently, this meat poses a serious threat to human health and should be removed from sale,’ said its Australian-based CEO Hannah Tait.

AFD’s attempts to engage Japanese authorities have faced challenges, prompting a shift in focus to educating consumers about the risks of consuming dolphin meat.

Video source: Facebook/@RicOBarrysDolphinProject​

Japan is among a small number of countries that still permit the harvesting of wild dolphins and whales for their meat.

Another such nation is the Faroe Islands, but their authorities adopt a more cautious stance by advising children, pregnant women, and individuals in general to limit their consumption of this meat.

‘In Japan, anyone can buy it online but there are no health warnings on the meat that there are such unbelievably high levels of mercury,’ Tait added.

‘We’d like to see it removed from sale because it’s been consistently shown to have high levels of mercury.’

Mercury’s effects on humans

Mercury, a naturally occurring element in the environment, can be found in air, water, and soil.

Minimal exposure to mercury can lead to serious health issues by adversely affecting various bodily systems, including the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, as well as the lungs, kidneys, skin, and eyes.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers mercury one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern.

Key Takeaways

• Testing of dolphin meat bought online from a Japanese company found it contains mercury levels 265 times the country’s regulatory limit.
• The meat was bought online by the conservation group Action for Dolphins, which has found increasingly high levels of mercury in their tests since 2020.
• Despite attempts by the group, Japanese authorities have not taken action.

Members, have any of you tried dolphin meat, or do you want to try it? What does it taste like? Share your experiences in the comments below!

HELL NO I HAVE NOT AND NEVER WILL!!!

Why don't the governments around the world impose very harsh sanctions and other measures on Japan until this utterly cruel, barbaric and needless slaughter of some of the oceans and the worlds most beautiful creatures is stopped forever!! (Oh that's right, their all to busy infighting, warring, tip-toeing around each other and being impossibly STUPID while raising their own salaries to handle the issues that matter around the world and in their own countries - and they wonder why people hate politicians).

I can't stand to see such kind, wonderful, intelligent, majestic, beautiful creatures being Dolphins needlessly killed to be eaten by such savages - DOLPHINS ARE NOT FOOD!!! They are protectors in the ocean, guides to ships/boats, friendly to swimmers along the shoreline. They are peaceful creatures who do not do harm but good and deserve to live their lives freely without the danger of barbaric, cruel, inhumane practices by a bunch of savage, arrogant, ignorant @$$wipes who eat any and everything!

As for mercury levels, well, if the countries around the world Japan included stopped dumping chemicals, nuclear waste stuff and whatever nasty stuff they can think of into the oceans/seas etc then the sea life wouldn't have picked up any kinda chemicals.

 

[magpie1]

The Japanese diet is so different to ours and seafood of many types are regarded as delicacies. To many of us though the slaughter of such friendly animals such as dolphins is utterly shameful and should be stopped. In the meantime they have just dumped millions of gallons of Nuclear Waste water in and around Japanese waters.....even if it has been 'treated' I don't think that this can be very good for the seafood that they consume and export. Time for another SAVE the DOLPHIN campaign, maybe.