Whale and Dolphin Conservation said it is cruel for Japanese whaling operator Kyodo Senpaku to attempt to increase whale meat consumption by selling it in unmanned vending machines. .“Only a small but influential group of politicians and whaling industry stakeholders drive the country’s whaling interests,” said Whale and Dolphin Conservation campaigner Astrid Fuchs in a blog post. .“This latest cynical sales ploy comes at a time when the Fisheries Agency in Japan is aiming to expand the nation’s whale-catch quotas in around two years’ time, and possibly increase the list of species that can be killed.”.The blog post said Kyodo Senpaku is opening four whale vending machines selling the animal’s meat and processed products in Tokyo and other locations by mid-February. .The Japanese government announced its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission five years ago to allow it to carry on killing whales for profit. It has subsidized the whaling industry by more than $51.7 million. .The vending machines dispense products, including frozen items such as red whale meat, skin, and sets of canned, cooked whale. The blog post said about 3,000 tonnes of of meat on route to Japan pass through east Africa after being shipped from Iceland at Christmas to avoid publicity. .It said hopes were raised whaling will end after Icelandic Fisheries Minister Svandis Svavarsdottir cast doubt over its future, saying there is now little justification for authorizing it. Svavarsdottir said whaling damaged Iceland's reputation and negatively affected exports, which were echoed by the Icelandic Tourist Board..Kyodo plans to launch more unmanned stores, with the intention of increasing the number to about 100 nationwide over the next five years. Officials from the company have expressed concerns the traditional whaling industry will not survive unless domestic consumption increases. .Past efforts to increase consumption have included putting whale meat into school lunches, promoting recipes, and creating a website to show where to dine out on the meat. Lack of demand has meant it ends up in dog food..Eating whale meat became commonplace in Japan after food shortages during and after the Second World War. Opinion polls found up to 95% of Japanese people now seldom or never eat whale meat, which has shown to be toxic..The blog post concluded by saying whale hunting is cruel, with many of the animals taking a long time to die after being shot with grenade-tipped harpoons.
