A load of whale dolphin meat weighing over 1000kg was discovered by inspectors in a truck that arrived at the Chiayi City fish market on Saturday evening. This is the largest seizure of dolphin meat since the implementation of the Wildlife Conservation Law.
Acting on a tip, inspectors searched the truck at 9:30pm as it waited to deliver its cargo.
PHOTO: TSAI MIN-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
According to the driver, 23-year-old Huang Yi-hsiung (
By the time they were discovered, the dolphins had been cut into 32 large pieces, each individually wrapped in a burlap bag. One enormous head section appeared to have been freshly cut and was spattered with blood.
Both Huang and the owner of the truck, Chen Wen-yang (
They were told to expect a phone call after arriving in Chiayi and never knew the identity of the intended recipient.
The two men, together with a worker who helped to package the meat, await charges for violating the Wildlife Conservation Law.
In the past, dolphin meat was often sold by fishermen in Chiayi County. Now, however, most are wary of selling even those dolphins caught unintentionally. Only one or two fish vendors will hawk the meat, usually by wrapping a large chunk with a towel and driving around with it on a motorcycle while calling for customers. Sales are poor, and trading in large volume is rare.
Dolphin meat is pitch black with a strong "fishy" taste. The only way it can be suitably prepared is by stir-frying thin slices of the meat with the skin attached at high temperature. Ginger, rice wine, and basil are added to suppress the fishy flavor.
The resulting dish is entirely black and generally appeals only to afficionados or the gastronomically adventurous. It is occasionally available in restaurants for NT$200 to NT$250 per dish.
Dolphin conservation enjoyed an upsurge of popularity in Taiwan almost a year ago when a Risso's dolphin nicknamed "Uncle A-Tung" (阿通伯) was returned to the sea after beaching himself near Miaoli county's Tunghsiao township.
Extensive coverage by local media helped to rally conservationists in support of Uncle A-Tung and the dolphin's saga took an unexpected turn when he beached himself yet again within hours of his release.
Yet another release and yet another return prompted cetacean experts to wonder if Uncle A-Tung had become dependent on an easy life in their tanks and the 20kg of squid per day he enjoyed during his periods of recuperation.
Finally, on being released a third time, Uncle A-Tung became the first dolphin in Asia to successfully return to the sea after running aground.
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