Whale Meat in L.A. hi end Sushi restaurant

My publisher called me this morning and told me about this. I just couldn't believe it but then he sent me the article url. Disgusting is all I can say.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...0,2114925.story

Steve

ps. Just found out that they were charged $600.00 for the meal.

My publisher called me this morning and told me about this. I just couldn't believe it but then he sent me the article url. Disgusting is all I can say.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...0,2114925.story

 

Steve

Some discussion on the article and The Cove in the Cove Thread

Was just sent this url; http://www.thehump.biz/?page_id=24 upon which I wrote a scathing letter to them. Hope that 1000's do as well.

Steve

HOLY CRAP!

TYPHOON BUSTED?! It's down the street from me. Good work undercover sleuths!!! I will not be going to Typhoon during this lifetime...

Boycotting is only effective if you let them know WHY you are not going back.

This article was just sent to me...its a long link.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100311/ap_on_...Glmc3VzaGljaA--

Boycotting is only effective if you let them know WHY you are not going back.

Yes Drew, I agree that not letting them know WHY is not sufficient. Although I have never eaten there, I have already contacted them regarding why I will not dine at their restaurants (I guess next time I comment on Wetpixel forums I should state every movement of my day to avoid such assumptions). HAVE YOU contacted Typhoon? The contact information for Typhoon is (1) 310-390-6565. I would assume (hopefully correctly) that you disagree with Typhoon serving whale meat. Please contact them and tell them this BEFORE you respond to this post (having read your posts over the last several years I am very aware that you always need to have the last word and always need to be correct thus I would be shocked but also very impressed if you did not write a diatribe).

"Eating Sei whale meat is common in Japan, Korea and Norway"

Don't know where the reporters get their information from but this is not common in Norway!!

"Eating Sei whale meat is common in Japan, Korea and Norway"

Don't know where the reporters get their information from but this is not common in Norway!!

Norways hunting of Cetaceans are restricted to Minke Whale. Thus there has not been eaten Sei whale in Norway for a very long time.

There is evidence to suggest that the population of Minke whale is not being threatened by hunting and that the population is steadily growing. IMO that does not mean that you have to eat them, but others disagree. Actually every time Watson attacks a Norwegian whaling ship the opposition gets a blow because nothing gathers more nutty nationalism in this country. Since some one very "wisely" announced that whaling was a part of our culture... To me it seems the whalers are loosing slowly, though their lobby is strong, people are eating less and less whale meat. I can see this going the right way in time.

I would also have to say that eating bluefin tuna is just as bad if not worse than Minke whale as they really are on the brink of extinction.

Sei whales are in a different category (Threatened) and Japans hunting in the Antarctic sanctuaries is the all time low since the protection of whales started.

Lets also boycott any restaurant that sell endangered fish species also!

Cheers,

Espen

Lets also boycott any restaurant that sell endangered fish species also!

I completely agree, Espen. In fact, my wife and I have made the decision not to eat fish altogether. We find it rather disconcerting that we would travel to the other side of the planet to dive and see fabulous schools of fish, and then during our deco time eat fish for lunch...besides there is a massive over-fishing problem on the planet anyhow....OK, I'll get off of my soapbox now!!!

And I have always wondered at this in terms of liveaboards upon which I have been on too many to count. Why is it that liveaboard dive ships always serve so much seafood to divers who should know better than to encourage even more fishing. It has never made sense to me and I always tell the ships long before hand, 'No Seafood for Me' when I board.

Steve

ps I am a hypocrite to a degree as I do love Bumble Bee tuna sandwiches.

We all have to eat. It's ALL about sustainability and how the fish are caught and/or raised.

I would urge everyone to read and carry a Seafood Watch card

This shows what is available and what you can enjoy or should avoid.

There is even an iPhone app now!

Jack

I like Jack's suggestion about utilizing the SEAFOOD WATCH CARD...that is, if you eat seafood. I used to carry one of these back in the fish-consuming days.

I highly recommend the documentary FOOD, INC.. Great documentary, but if you watch it there will be a lot more YOU WON'T want to be eating besides only fish...

TED Talk: "How I fell in love with a fish" by Dan Barber. Well worth watching. http://ech.cc/b7PPnA

Yes Drew, I agree that not letting them know WHY is not sufficient. Although I have never eaten there, I have already contacted them regarding why I will not dine at their restaurants (I guess next time I comment on Wetpixel forums I should state every movement of my day to avoid such assumptions). HAVE YOU contacted Typhoon? The contact information for Typhoon is 1 310-390-6565. I would assume (hopefully correctly) that you disagree with Typhoon serving whale meat. Please contact them and tell them this BEFORE you respond to this post.

AMW, I modded your post since you put an international dial code in and we don't want to give the phone companies more money (011 will charge even for local calls and you have to call the phone company to change that I believe). I apologize if my response was a little curt and thus offensive to you.

Norways hunting of Cetaceans are restricted to Minke Whale. Thus there has not been eaten Sei whale in Norway for a very long time.

There is evidence to suggest that the population of Minke whale is not being threatened by hunting and that the population is steadily growing.

Espen, I don't think many of the protesters really differentiate based on species but charge on emotion That said, Iceland hunts fin whales (which are endangered) and both Norway and Iceland sell their whale meat to Japan. They have not released information on which stock the Sei whale came from.

Actually every time Watson attacks a Norwegian whaling ship the opposition gets a blow because nothing gathers more nutty nationalism in this country. Since some one very "wisely" announced that whaling was a part of our culture... To me it seems the whalers are loosing slowly, though their lobby is strong, people are eating less and less whale meat

I think that effect of nationalism applies to all countries. Norway does not recognize the moratorium on whaling, and thus is as "illegal" as hunting in the Antarctic sanctuary. Unfortunately, Japan also chooses to add fin and Sei whales to their hunt, which pours more fuel to the unpopular activity. It seems the Japan is the main market for whale meat, even though it is a shrinking market being propped up by certain factions of the Japanese government for many reasons other than having a taste for whale meat.

It is a joint effort by the whaling nations to continue whaling and remove the moratorium. I just see a disproportionate amount of negativity against the Japanese for the same infarctions as the Norwegians and Icelanders. To me, that is disconcerting.

The latest video of the restaurant being picketed.

Steve

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-419610?hpt=Sbin

"The owner and one of the chefs were charged with a violation of the Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. The charge brings a maximum sentence of one year in Federal Prison and a $100,000 fine."

Sure hope that's true, it might just give the other chefs doing this something to think about.

Steve

The BAD news in Los Angeles: Typhoon Restaurant serving whale...

The GOOD news in Los Angeles: Captain Paul Watson will be speaking at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Los Angeles (Long Beach) on April 11th. A $50 donation towards the the Sea Shepherd and Ocean Defenders will get you in the door...here is the link: http://oceandefenders.org/

Hope to see you WetPixelers there!!!

I just see a disproportionate amount of negativity against the Japanese for the same infarctions as the Norwegians and Icelanders. To me, that is disconcerting.

I agree that the best thing for Norway would be to halt all whaling. The criticism for a lack of acceptance of the moratorium is just, but I think that the extra criticism the Japanese are getting in a way is proportionally correct.

1. Norway does it's whaling in Norwegian waters. Japan does it's whaling in international waters.

2. Norway has a small quota of a species that is not threatened by low population size and that is growing. Japans whaling extends into species that are threatened.

That said. My biggest concern is the lack of legislation and enforcement of fisheries in international waters. I know there are Norwegian corporations here that have to take their share of the blame for an ever emptier ocean.

As for Norways territorial fisheries, with the exception of those co managed by the EU (which are are terrible at the moment), things have not been better the last 40 years or so. Thankfully our early blunders did not lead to a full collapse and careful managing has brought herring back in numbers approaching trillions!

However all is not well as later research suggest long term population genetical effects of fishing that are not favorable.

Sorry for making this post about fish. It's just that in a larger global sense this is so much more scary to me...

And don't even get me started on ocean acidification and zoo-plankton collapse!

I'll go be quiet now.

Cheers,

Espen.

Espen, I think whales being migratory or at least moving mammals, defeats any sovereign rights issues of any NE Atlantic countries. Minkes migrate to where the food is and I doubt they want to carry EU (or Australian ) passports for fear of being hunted

To say any whale that comes within 12 nautical miles of Norway is thus a sovereign issue is a good legal argument. However, I doubt the Norwegian whalers stop right at the 12 nm mark when chasing a whale. The population was estimated between 65-117k (mathematical estimates), so taking 1200 (2010 Norway quota) will be from 0.7-1.7% of the population. There is no data on how many whales are taken outside the territorial water mark.

However, when the Japanese do the same with pilot whales and dolphins "on their own shores", as the Faroese do, a movie is made about their savagery and lack of humanity. I don't think the criticism and general outrage is proportionate at all.

I believe the Japanese also hunt their quota of Sperm and Sei whales around their waters (including since they are right on the continental shelf and have access to the populations of Sperms around the islands). Moreover, the population estimate of the Sperm whale in the North Western Pacific is over 100k, of which the Japanese openly hunt about 50-100 a year. They only go for the Minkes in the Antarctic, where the population is even more robust (600k or more I believe) and can handle the 900 whales the Japanese claim to take every year. A study released this year shows the minkes are getting closer to pre whaling numbers.

You are absolutely right it is the overfishing of the ocean that is the biggest issue in marine conservation. In fact, the Japanese have argued that whales (some of them are now 1% of their pre19th century population) are competitors for fish, and thus need to be regulated, an argument many fishermen will support, whether the science is there or not.