Mercury Contamination in the Red Meat of Whales and Dolphins Marketed for Human Consumption in Japan

Cetacean products sold for human consumption in Japan originate from a wide range of whale, dolphin, and porpoise species caught off several areas of the Japan coast, Antarctic and North Pacific Oceans. We surveyed the total mercury (T-Hg) levels in red meat, the most popular cetacean products in Japan. We also analyzed the DNA of these to obtain information regarding species. According to the genetic analysis, the red meats originating from nine species of odontocete and six species of mystecete were sold in Japanese markets. T-Hg concentrations in all odontocete red meats (0.52−81.0 μg/wet g, n = 137) exceeded the provisional permitted level of T-Hg in marine foods set by the Japanese government (0.4 μg/wet g). The highest and second highest levels of T-Hg in the red meats were found in the false killer whale (81.0 μg/wet g) and striped dolphin (63.4 μg/wet g), respectively. These concentrations of T-Hg exceeded the permitted level of T-Hg by about 200 and 160 times, respectively, suggesting the possibi...