I agree… it seems as if the Japanese government is working hard to construct their whale meat heritage, which again begs the question: what does scientific research have to do with all of this, if anything?

Thanks for the posting and point well taken re what constitutes ‘lucrative’. From what I’ve seen in a variety of accounts, the sale of whale meat in Japan brings in about $40 million/year with the Japanese gov subsidizing about 1/4 of that. As we know from the petroleum industry perspective, for example, subsidization and profitability are not mutually exclusive concepts. From a research perspective, turning any kind of profit is certainly lucrative. What constitutes lucrative could also depend on what whale product is being sold and to whom. Some parts of the whale fetch extremely high prices in the swankier restaurants whilst other parts get canned.

But even if the ‘research enterprise’ were unsustainable financially, and the whale kills were truly conducted in the name of research, I suspect the whale harvest would decrease in lieu of less lethal, and less expensive, means rather than increase which is what Japan wants to do. Interestingly, Japan is also actively marketing whale meat to the younger generation as an important part of Japan’s cultural heritage. Both points underscore the fact that this issue is less about scientific research than it is about other considerations such as economics (Japanese food self-sufficiency or perhaps an attempt to drive demand), gastronomy, or values (Japanese cultural identity) rather than what constitutes ’sound’ science.

If the Japanese Government insist that whales are killed for research purposes only, then they would have no objection to making the sale of whale meat illegal in the country.

The only true incentive to killing whales then would be research.