FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — When it comes to fishing practices, Japan easily has one of the patchiest records among the international community. As far back as the 1980s, its maritime practices were a magnet for environmentalists. Whaling, shark finning, culling dolphins en masse as seen in the highly provocative 2009 documentary film, The Cove: the list of Japan’s alleged oceanic sins is long.

Even the Simpsons and South Parkhave lampooned Japanese fishing regulations, absurdly loose relative to most industrialized nations.

These controversial practices generally end up on our plates. But according to a statement jointly released earlier this week by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA),Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and the Iruka & Kujira [Dolphin & Whale] Action Network(IKAN), Icelandic fishermen planned to butcher endangered North Atlantic fin whales to create luxury pet snacks for dogs in Japan.

Read more from Jonathan DeHart in The Diplomat.