"whale meat" news and stories

A Japanese elementary school kicked off a whale of a controversy during its observance of a national week to commemorate lunches in public schools.

For its special menu one day last week, Azabu Elementary School in central Tokyo's Minato ward served the students whale meat, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The School Affairs Section of the Secretariat of the Minato Board of Education said in a written statement that each school was free to plan its special menus that week, and the goal was to include "traditional, local, historical, and cultural dishes," a blogger for the paper wrote.

If you watched the Oscars on Sunday night, then you'll know that the The Cove won for Best Documentary for its unflinching expose of the Japanese coastal town of Taiji, where fishermen hunt and slaughter dolphins.

But the makers of the film have not finished uncovering marine abuse. According to the New York Times, the filmmakers (who include actor Fisher Stevens) initiated a sting operation on a Los Angeles restaurant (ironically called "The Hump") after hearing from friends that whale was on its menu.