I went clam digging this morning and there was a whale washed up on the beach. I think a Grey whale. Someone had flensed one side of the whale. They had left one slab about 2'x3' laying in the sand. Looked like the biggest side of bacon ever. I was not even tempted. It had a powerful smell. Possibly natives, just south of the Quinault Reservation. Never seen one cut into before.

I know dead whales draw sharks and polar bears so it must smell real good!

Had a Minke whale wash up a few years ago....I was tempted to cut into it, but decided I can't afford a federal marine mammal rap, lol

Also ran the bow of the boat on a drifter the sharks were working over, it was NOT fresh! the stink was ..memorable...

Whale oil is an extremely useful product for all kinds of applications.
Much cleaner than the petroleum products that replaced it industrially.

I would love to try whale meat, but wouldn't want to eat one that just washed ashore dead.

Keith

Think of the trapping oil that would make

Like a lot of native food, it is an acquired taste.

You can order it in Iceland, cost more that I would pay when I was there 10 years ago. Can’t imagine what prices are there now.

wws

I heard the grey whale the Makah's harpooned 20+ years ago was not at all good eating. I almost made it up there on the day they had the big feast....but that's a whole different story.
They haven't taken another one since; if that tells you anything.

The part Alaskan natives eat the most is the skin. High oil/calorie content. Google can probably get you pics of Northern Alaska natives cutting up Bowhead whales. Grays are also eaten.