過去數百年來，西方雖已不再把鯨魚視為食物，日本人捕鯨卻已有8千年的歷史，至少從史前的繩文時代就已經開始了。日本人把鯨魚視為巨型魚類，而不是哺乳動物，所以不受佛教禁止肉食的影響。二次大戰後，日本由於物資匱乏，人民所吃的肉類更有一半都是鯨魚肉。
過多的冷凍鯨肉 混用到便當、狗飼料中
隨著國際捕鯨委員會經過一番奮鬥，全球皆在1986年推行暫停捕鯨的措施，工業捕鯨活動也因此告終。現在也該是徹底禁止捕鯨的時候了，單在20世紀，北太平洋就有50萬條鯨魚遭到屠殺，南半球更是多達200萬條。
有些生態學家認為鯨魚在尚未遭到捕獵之前的數量是2億4千萬，現在這個數字只剩下1萬2千。藍鯨是地球上最大的動物，目前只剩下1400條。暫停捕鯨的措施開始推行之後，有些鯨魚的數量雖已稍有恢復，但即便是最樂觀的估計，也認為當前的鯨魚數量僅達原本的14％。
國際捕鯨委員會的科學捕鯨計畫允許每年捕捉1000條鯨魚以應「科學需求」，於是日本人也就以此為由繼續捕殺鯨魚。當然，大家都知道日本只是假託科學之名：他們解剖宰殺這種動物的行為，對人類知識根本沒有任何貢獻。
由於日本當前只有1％的人口仍然經常性地食用鯨魚，所以日本政府其實囤積了非常大量的冷凍鯨肉。於是，學童的午餐便當裡偷偷使用油炸鯨肉，東京一家公司也在2006年被人發現把鯨肉碾碎製成狗飼料。政府官員還雇用小販到青少年出入的時髦場所發送免費鯨肉壽司捲，為了推廣吃鯨肉不惜喊出這種混淆視聽的宣傳口號：「吃鯨魚，救鯨魚！」
鯨魚經常感染布氏桿菌 人類感染可能發燒、肌肉頭痛
鯨肉雖然缺乏市場，日本卻仍致力推動廢除捕鯨禁令。自從1998年以來，日本已說服了19個國家加入國際捕鯨委員會。（這個組織的成員包括蒙古與瑞士等內陸國，其運作上的缺乏公正性早已被人比擬為歐洲電視網歌唱大賽。）2006年，日本以3億美元的援助收買了安地卡、多米尼克以及格瑞那達等小國的支持，總算湊足了50％的票數，而得以左右國際捕鯨委員會的議程。反捕鯨運動人士擔心，實施了20年的暫停捕鯨措施可能遭到推翻。
（現在回顧起來，我深深慶幸自己在日本沒有多吃鯨魚肉。鯨魚和許多海洋哺乳動物一樣，經常都感染有布氏桿菌。在我那趟東京之旅結束後不久，《海洋汙染雜誌》Marine Pollution Bulletin就刊登了一篇報導，指出在日本抽檢的小鬚鯨肉樣本中，百分之三十八都含有這種病菌。人類如果受到感染，可能出現發燒、肌肉疼痛、流產以及睪丸發炎。更糟糕的是，鯨肉的水銀含量非常高，光是吃一餐鯨魚內臟，就可能導致急性中毒。幸好我沒有點菜單上的鯨雜拼盤。）
鯨油及其他鯨魚產品可被其他人造製品取代
儘管如此，工業化的鯨魚屠殺活動卻是可悲又毫無必要，鯨油及其他鯨魚產品早就已經被人造製品取代了。況且，鯨肉的水銀及其他汙染物含量如此之高，拿來餵食學童實在是一大罪惡。更可恥的是，二十世紀的鯨魚屠殺活動，現在竟是為了製作人工奶油而重現江湖。只要日本的民族主義意識繼續主導國家的捕鯨政策，而日本又主導國際捕鯨委員會的運作，我們就絕對有充分理由反對屠鯨行為。
日本自身對於捕鯨議題的態度顯然充滿矛盾，《經濟學人》雜誌指出，日本從賞鯨旅遊獲得的收入遠高於需要政府補貼的捕鯨工業。然而，過於激進的反捕鯨人士卻掀起了日本全國上下的防衛心態，以致這項原本該是全球各國關切的海洋危機議題，卻變質成了民族自尊心的問題。長期而言，所有捕鯨船對海洋所造成的威脅，加總起來還不比日本壽司的全球化潮流來得危險。laennec
其他比較不受媒體關注的海中生物──諸如鯊魚、深海魚，還有最迫切的黑鮪魚──不但更有隨時絕跡的可能，而且這樣的悲劇也絕對不亞於鯨魚的絕種。也許這些魚類魅力比不上鯨魚，但面臨的問題卻更加嚴重。
In the past hundreds of years, although the West no longer regards whales as food, the Japanese whaling has a history of 8,000 years, at least since the prehistoric Jomon period. The Japanese regard whales as giant fishes, not mammals, so they are not affected by Buddhism's ban on meat. After the Second World War, due to lack of supplies in Japan, half of the meat eaten by the people was whale meat.
Excessive frozen whale meat mixed into bento, dog feed
With the hard work of the International Whaling Commission, the global suspension of whaling was introduced in 1986, and industrial whaling ended. It is time to completely ban whaling. In the 20th century alone, 500,000 whales were massacred in the North Pacific and as many as 2 million in the southern hemisphere.
Some ecologists believe that the number of whales before they have been hunted is 240 million, and now there are only 12,000 left. The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, leaving only 1,400. After the moratorium on whaling began, some of the whales have recovered slightly, but even the most optimistic estimate is that the current number of whales is only 14% of the original.
The International Whaling Commission's scientific whaling program allows 1,000 whales to be captured each year for "scientific needs," and the Japanese continue to kill whales for this reason. Of course, everyone knows that Japan is only the name of science: they dissect the behavior of slaughtering such animals and have no contribution to human knowledge at all.
Since only 1% of the population in Japan still consume whales on a regular basis, the Japanese government has actually accumulated a large amount of frozen whale meat. As a result, the schoolchildren secretly used fried whale meat in lunch boxes, and a Tokyo company was also found in 2006 to crush whale meat into dog feed. Government officials also hired hawkers to send free whale meat sushi rolls to trendy places where teenagers enter and exit. In order to promote eating whale meat, they screamed this confusing slogan: "Whale eating, whale rescue!"
Whales are often infected with Brucella. Human infections may have fever, muscle headaches.
Despite the lack of market for whale meat, Japan is still committed to promoting the abolition of the whaling ban. Since 1998, Japan has persuaded 19 countries to join the International Whaling Commission. (The members of this organization include landlocked countries such as Mongolia and Switzerland. The lack of impartiality in their operations has long been compared to the Eurovision singing contest.) In 2006, Japan bought Andyka and Dominica for $300 million in aid. The support of small countries such as Grenada has finally matched 50% of the votes and has been able to influence the agenda of the International Whaling Commission. Anti-whalers are concerned that a 20-year moratorium on whaling may be overturned.
(Recalling now, I am deeply grateful that I have not eaten more whale meat in Japan. Whales, like many marine mammals, are often infected with Brucella. So far after my trip to Tokyo, the Journal of Marine Pollution Marine Pollution Bulletin published a report that 38% of the minke whale meat samples sampled in Japan contain the bacteria. If infected, people may have fever, muscle pain, miscarriage and test pills. Inflammable. Worse, the mercury content of the whale meat is very high. Just eating a whale viscera can cause acute poisoning. Fortunately, I don't have a whale platter on the menu.)
Whale oil and other whale products can be replaced by other man-made products
Despite this, industrialized whale slaughter is sad and unnecessary, and whale oil and other whale products have long been replaced by man-made products. Moreover, the content of mercury and other pollutants in whale meat is so high that it is a big sin to feed school children. What is even more shameful is that the whale slaughter in the twentieth century is now re-emerged in order to make artificial cream. As long as Japan’s nationalist consciousness continues to dominate the country’s whaling policy, and Japan dominates the operation of the International Whaling Commission, we have every reason to oppose the killing of whales.
Japan’s own attitude towards whaling is clearly contradictory. The Economist pointed out that Japan’s income from whale watching tourism is much higher than that of whaling industry that requires government subsidies. However, the overly aggressive anti-whaling people have set off a national defense mentality throughout Japan, which has turned out to be a problem of marine crisis that is of concern to all countries in the world, but has become a problem of national self-respect. In the long run, the threat posed by all whaling ships to the oceans is no more dangerous than the globalization of Japanese sushi.
Other sea creatures that are not subject to media attention - such as sharks, deep-sea fish, and the most urgent black carp - are not only more likely to disappear, but also such tragedies are no less than the extinction of whales. Perhaps these fish are less attractive than whales, but the problems are even more serious.
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