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Tin of seasoned whale meat
Tin of seasoned whale meat

Tin of seasoned whale meat

Manufacturer
Datebefore 1987
Object number00000906
NameWhale meat
MediumMetal
DimensionsOverall: 50 x 76 x 76 mm, 0.25 kg
ClassificationsAnimals and animal products
Credit LineANMM Collection Transfer from Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service
DescriptionThis tin of whale meat was produced in Japan by the Taiyo Fisher Company and was confiscated by Australian Customs. Whale meat is now a prohibited import/export in Australia but it has been a product of the whaling industry since its inception.HistoryWhaling has been an important industry for many cultures for centuries. Whaling provided the first fishing industry and the first exports for the colony of NSW in 1791. The hunt for the whale met different needs at different times. During the 1800s a variety of whale species were a valuable resource with their oil used in lamp fuel, lubricants and candles, their baleen in corsets and buggy whips and their ambergris in perfumes and soaps. Whaling became more industrialised as technology advanced, with the consequence of smaller whale populations each year. During the twentieth century, the industry became more controversial and controlled with quotas set for countries and cultures. Nations are generally divided into pro and anti-whaling factions, with whale populations closely monitored by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). By 1978, whale products were no longer needed and Australia banned whaling and the import of whale products. It now supports the goal of a global ban on whaling.SignificanceThis tinned whale meat is a modern example of a by-product of the whaling industry and very much indicative of the controversy surrounding the industry.