Editing Dolphin (section)

===Consumption===

====Cuisine====
[[File:Dolphin Sashimi.jpg|thumb|Plate of dolphin [[sashimi]]]]
In some parts of the world, such as [[Taiji, Wakayama|Taiji, Japan]] and the [[Faroe Islands]], dolphins are traditionally considered as food, and are killed in [[harpoon]] or [[dolphin drive hunting|drive hunts]].<ref name="auto"/>
Dolphin meat is consumed in a small number of countries worldwide, which include Japan<ref>{{cite news| last= McCurry | first= Justin | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/14/dolphin-slaughter-hunting-japan-taiji | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Dolphin slaughter turns sea red as Japan hunting season returns | date=September 14, 2009 | access-date=May 24, 2010}}</ref> and [[Peru]] (where it is referred to as ''chancho marino'', or "sea pork").<ref>{{Cite news  | last = Hall  | first = Kevin G.  | title = Dolphin meat widely available in Peruvian stores: Despite protected status, 'sea pork' is popular fare  | newspaper = The Seattle Times  | year = 2003  }}</ref> While Japan may be the best-known and most controversial example, only a very small minority of the population has ever sampled it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kearney |first=Christine |date=2009-07-31 |title=Dolphin slaughter in Japan subject of new film |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/film-dolphins-japan/dolphin-slaughter-in-japan-subject-of-new-film-idUKN3030237020090731/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

Dolphin meat is dense and such a dark shade of red as to appear black. Fat is located in a layer of [[blubber]] between the meat and the skin. When dolphin meat is eaten in Japan, it is often cut into thin strips and eaten raw as ''[[sashimi]]'', garnished with onion and either [[horseradish]] or grated garlic, much as with ''sashimi'' of [[whale meat|whale]] or [[horse meat]] (''basashi''). When cooked, dolphin meat is cut into bite-size cubes and then batter-fried or simmered in a ''[[miso]]'' sauce with vegetables. Cooked dolphin meat has a flavor very similar to [[beef liver]].<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:イルカの味噌根菜煮 |language=ja|trans-title= Dolphin in Miso Vegetable Stew |url= http://cookpad.com/recipe/1073593 |work= Cookpad |year=2010 |access-date= May 16, 2011}}</ref>

====Health concerns====

There have been human health concerns associated with the consumption of dolphin meat in Japan after tests showed that dolphin meat contained high levels of [[mercury (element)|mercury]].<ref name=WHO/> There are no known cases of [[mercury poisoning]] as a result of consuming dolphin meat, though the government continues to monitor people in areas where dolphin meat consumption is high. The Japanese government recommends that children and pregnant women avoid eating dolphin meat on a regular basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mhlw.go.jp/topics/2003/06/tp0605-1.html|title=平成１５年６月３日に公表した「水銀を含有する魚介類等の 摂食に関する注意事項」について|work=Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare|language=ja}}</ref>

Similar concerns exist with the consumption of dolphin meat in the [[Faroe Islands]], where [[Prenatal development|prenatal]] exposure to [[methylmercury]] and [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCBs]] primarily from the consumption of pilot whale meat has resulted in [[Neuropsychology|neuropsychological]] deficits amongst children.<ref name=WHO>{{cite web|author= [[World Health Organization]] / [[United Nations Environment Programme]] DTIE Chemicals Branch |year= 2008 |title= Guidance for identifying populations at risk from mercury exposure|page= 36 |url=https://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/chem/mercuryexposure.pdf |access-date= August 29, 2013}}</ref>

{{Quotes|quote=The [[Faroe Islands]] population was exposed to [[methylmercury]] largely from contaminated pilot whale meat, which contained very high levels of about 2 mg methylmercury/kg. However, the Faroe Islands populations also eat significant numbers of fish. The study of about 900 Faroese children showed that prenatal exposure to methylmercury resulted in neuropsychological deficits at 7 years of age|source=[[World Health Organization]]<ref name=WHO/>}}