Icelandic Fin Whale Dog Treats Off the Shelves After Successful Opposition Campaign

The consternation of several animal conservation groups and the megaphone of the Internet have led a Japanese online food retailer to stop selling luxury dog treats made with the meat of endangered fin whales.

Within hours of a condemning press release issued by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and the Iruka & Kujira [Dolphin & Whale] Action Network (IKAN), retailer Michinoku Farms pulled the whale meat dog treats from its product lineup.

When Nature World News reported on the story Tuesday, the product was not readily visible on the company's Japanese website, and Wednesday's statement by Michinoku president Takuma Konno confirmed that the company halted the sale of the controversial treat.

"Maybe I was ignorant of the debate (about whaling), but it's not worth selling the product if it risks disturbing some people," Konno said.

Icelandic fin whale has been sold in Japan for human consumption since 2008, and Iceland will defy international bans and hunt 180 fin whales for export in 2013, the EIA reported. The fin whale is the second largest creature in the ocean, behind the blue whale.

While it is losing popularity, the Japanese have a cultural history of eating whales and many Japanese-caught whales are still eaten in restaurants across Japan. The EIA reports that there is also a history of the country using Japan-caught whale and dolphin meat in treats, but the agency called the use of foreign-caught whale meat as pet food "alarming."

Because of a loophole in an international whaling ban, Japan can hunt whales for "research" purposes. Iceland openly defies the ban, the AFP reported. 

"We reiterate our dismay that Icelandic company Hvalur hf and its director Kristján Loftsson continue to flout two international conventions in order to slaughter endangered fin whales," said Susan Milward, Executive Director of the U.S.-based AWI.

Milward said she was "extremely pleased" that Michinoku Farms discontinued the sale of the fin whale treats.