Whale Meet

By Garry Cook

It’s not the encounter with a whale that dreams are made of. And it will probably spark a frenzy of abuse in my direction. But I have a confession to make: I ate whale steak and it was bloody great.

Let’s get one thing straight. I have done nothing underhand or illegal. I simply sat in a delightful restaurant on a frosty night in Bergen, Norway, and was served quite frankly, the best thing I have ever eaten.

Whale killing. Never was there a subject designed to rile even the most inactive environmentalist.

There are 11 species of whales – seven of which are categorised as endangered. There is no doubt that whale hunting was responsible for this. But since the 1960s hunting has almost ceased.

Whale’s are an endangered species. Hunting them is frowned upon by almost every single nation on planet earth. Killing them for scientific research is nothing more than a smokescreen, an excuse. Eating whale is abominable, yer murdering bastards. Don’t do it

In my defence I merely state that in Great Britain the biggest complaint about the collapse of society is that the Asian/Muslim/Polish/immigrant communities (delete where appropriate) do not embrace the British/Christian way of life.

I feel that by eating whale meat in Norway, I am simply sampling their way of life. Embracing their culture. Sympathetically bowing to their ways.

Norway is a fabulous country in many ways. Aesthetically it is amazing. Its landscapes and arrowing fjord waterways are stunning. And its infrastructure leads most of the Western world, too. Hospitals, health care, standard of living – all better than we enjoy in Britain.

The only downside is the cost of a good time. Food is a costly but manageable expense for the visitor. Booze, however, is almost prohibitive in its price. A pint of lager will cost GBP6 – and that’s if you find a cheap bar.

However, the price of beer is not Norwegian culture – but fishing is. With mountainous terrain hemmed in by thousands of miles of ragged and jagged coastline, Norway could only ever have developed as a seafaring nation.

Many of its cities and towns were accessible only by sea until recent times. Obviously much of Norway’s food came from the sea – and it still does. That this food should include whale meat is not really surprising.

Norway has resisted persistent calls from the International Whaling Commission to cease its whale hunting. The IWC launched a moratorium in 1982 which Norway still refuses to adhere to. And as something which has been part of its history, can we really complain? Can we Brits, the inhumane foxhunters, criticise them?

I have little time for people who abhor whale hunting simply because they are amazing creatures. So are pigs and lambs in my opinion.

However, I accept the argument that whales are an endangered species. I worry about them, too. But there are a few facts to point out.

There are 180,000 whales (mostly minke) in central and North East Atlantic and 700,000 around Antarctica. The northern mine is ranked as lower risk/near threatened.

The Inuit in Canada, the Japanese, the Faeroese and Iceland – who recently began whale hunting again - are the other whale hunting nations. Japan is the only nation using big hale-catchers.

If every country hunted whales then, yes, we would have a Dodo situation on our hands. However, it is unlikely that Norway, which kills around 630 minke whales a year is going to threaten the species. Norway used to hunt 2,000 minke whales every 12 months. Norway is fishing for whale conscientiously.

In fact, if things stay as status quo, the whale population should steadily increase. And that, after all, is how mankind should fit into his environment, by harvesting what he needs without driving resources to exhaustion. That goes for trees, oil, cows – and whales.

Should conservative whale hunting really be banned? Or are we just victims of mass hysteria? Are the Save the Whale-style campaigns built on fashionable politics and ignorance of the facts?

And when I sit and eat my whale steak, should I really live in fear that someone will find out? And should any travel piece focusing on Norway not mention whale meat just in case they upset the environmentalists or fish-loving activists?

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Norway, eat whale.

Travel is about experiences. As long as it’s legal and you’re not pushing the boundaries of basic human decency, you should have nothing to be afraid of.

I reiterate once again: eating whale steak in Norway is legal. By all means evaluate your conscience (I couldn’t eat dog in South Korea myself for purely British cultural reasons) but don’t be ashamed to taste the local delicacy. Enjoy