VIDEO and PICS: South Coasters help themselves to whale carcass on Oslo Beach
There is almost nothing left of the whale which washed up on the beach yesterday.
The juvenile whale which washed up yesterday on Oslo Beach has been hacked up and carted away by hundreds of people.
Some even skipped work today to get their share of the meat.
Carrying pangas, knives, buckets and packets, a crowd of people could be seen cutting away at the carcass for most of the day.
They all wanted their slice of ‘whale steak’.
The Herald visited the scene and asked a few questions.
How do you cook whale meat?
“It can be either boiled or fried and eaten with pap.”
How does whale meat taste?
“Generally like chicken or beef, depending on which part of the whale you are eating.”
Some of the younger men didn’t know what they were going to do with the meat, as they hadn’t tasted whale before, but they were willing to take it home and cook it.
According to www.whalefacts.org
- In the past, during the whaling era, whale blubber was considered a highly profitable substance due to its ability to be turned into an oil and used in various resources such as lamp oils, soaps and transmission fluids.
- While the whaling era may have ended, some countries are still hunting whales today, not for their blubber but for their meat.
- In these countries whale meat is considered a delicacy by some and can be found sold at very high prices in certain locations.
- Countries that consume whale meat include Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Japan and the Inuit of the United States, among other countries.
- For some, whale meat has strong cultural significance, passed down for centuries by individuals and groups that believe that hunting whales brings them closer to their ancestors.
- There is also a deep emotional connection among some groups that consider whale and dolphin hunting almost as bad as harming humans because of the high level of intelligence and emotion whales and dolphins are known to display.
- Organisations such as the international whaling commission have banned the practice of whaling in many countries as a way to help endangered species recover and hopefully replenish their stocks.
- If a particular species diminishes too heavily there is a good chance that it may not recover and will eventually become extinct.
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