It is a common misconception among land-dwellers that merfolk never eat dolphins or whales.  While today it is considered socially unacceptable by many underwater cultures - indeed, some few cetaceans are even guests at royal tables -  sport whaling was once enjoyed by the high nobility.  Today, the practice continues to thrive among more remote, less civilized merfolk.  The killing of the creature and  preparation of the meat, however, was always regarded with utmost honor, reflecting traditions that governed the once-common rituals of cannibalism.  Those who find this notion distasteful should remember that the opposite - whales feeding on merfolk - has long been a simple fact of oceanic existence, and, while less common in today's oceans, it still happens that a particularly old, surly, and hungry whale might hunt a weak, lone merchild when no other food is available.