{"id":7113,"date":"2025-08-18T15:13:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T06:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/sushiblog\/?p=7113"},"modified":"2026-02-23T19:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:14:10","slug":"types-of-whales-used-as-sushi-toppings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sushiuniversity.jp\/sushiblog\/types-of-whales-used-as-sushi-toppings\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of whales used as sushi toppings"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sashimi is a standard menu item at whale specialty restaurants.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It has been six years since Japan withdrew from the International Whaling Commission (IWC)<\/span> and resumed commercial whaling. Many consumers had hoped that whale meat would become cheaper and appear on dinner tables. This is because whale meat is a nutritious and versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes. However, the amount of whale meat available in circulation has decreased compared to the era of research whaling. What exactly were the Japanese government and the whaling industry trying to protect?<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the three countries strongly pushing for a \u201cwhale hunting ban\u201d in Japan are the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Why is Japan not allowed to engage in commercial whaling when Iceland and Norway are permitted to do so? Such inconsistencies also exist.<\/p>\n

In fact, very few Japanese people actually want to eat whale meat. According to a survey by Greenpeace, 95% of Japanese people do not particularly want to eat whale meat. It is said that the average annual consumption of whale meat per person in Japan is now 40 grams. It was quite a challenge to find images of whale sushi in our saved files.<\/p>\n

In other words, whales may now be used as political and economic tools, transcending issues such as human food and the environment.
\nTo put it bluntly, it may be the fault of a few members of parliament elected from constituencies with many whaling-related interests and hundreds of bureaucrats who do not want to lose their budgets.<\/p>\n

This article is simply to show that whale sushi exists as part of Japanese food culture. Although rare today, whale occasionally appears as sushi neta (topping). So, what kinds of whale are actually used for sushi? Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n

1. Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata\u3000<\/em>Lac\u00e9p\u00e8de, 1804<\/span>)<\/h3>\n
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The appearance of Minke whale nigiri sushi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Minke whales in the northern hemisphere are about 8 meters long. Seen from above, their heads are pointed at the tip. There is a white patch on the upper center of the pectoral fins. The dorsal fin, about 30 cm high, is located toward the rear of the body and is often clearly sickle-shaped. The back is black, the sides are gray with a blurred pattern, and the lower jaw and abdomen are white.<\/p>\n

It generally feeds on krill, small squid, and fish. It filters its food through bristle-like baleen plates, made of keratin. The Japanese name for the minke whale is higekujira,<\/i> which means bearded whale.<\/p>\n