Despite a world moratorium on commercial whaling passed by the
International Whaling Commission in 1982, whaling continues
under the guise of scientific research by Japan and through
consistent fisheries "bycatch" of whales in South Korea.
Products from both scientific research and bycatch are legally
sold in these countries. In 1993, Scott Baker, in collaboration
with Steve Palumbi (now at Stanford University) and Earthtrust,
initiated a program of "molecular monitoring" to identify the
species of whales and dolphins sold in these commercial markets
(Baker and Palumbi 1994). This program is now in it 14th year
and has identified the species and in some cases the geographic
origin of nearly 2,000 products from at least 28 species of
cetaceans including seven species or subspecies of protected
baleen whales: the humpback, western gray, fin, blue/fin
hybrids, sei, Bryde’s and small-from Bryde’s whales (Baker et
al. 1996; Baker et al. 2000b). Products are "sampled" through
targeted purchasing of whale meat from