Whaling

So I tried to bring up this very controversial topic with one of my Japanese friends. There is a new documentary out, called The Cove, about dolphin hunters in Japan that is stirring up a lot of controversy here for those who actually know about it. Anyways here was our conversation:

me: "So I wonder if the dolphin hunting is actually bringing their population numbers down. I feel like whales are different because there are so few of them, but I'm not sure about dolphins."

friend: "Yes, whales are . . . eh . . . (looks in dictionary, I'm thinking, for a word like 'endangered' or something along those lines) . . . Whales are a delicious dish."

me: "I see. But isn't whaling illegal because they are so few of them?"

friend: "Yes, Japanese hunt whales for research and when research is finished meat goes to supermarket. In December, near New Year's, you can find whale in our supermarket."

me: "Wow. Many people in America and other countries think that it is very bad that Japanese hunt whales, even for research because they are endangered (I look up the translation for 'endangered' ). They even have a show where animal rights activists go on a boat and attack the Japanese whaling boats."

friend: "Yes I know. But whale meat is very tasty."

me: "Ok, so let's talk about something else!"