Investigation launched following claims that restaurants in Italy are serving dolphin meat

Italian police have confirmed that an investigation has been launched following claims that dolphin meat is being served to customers in restaurants in and around the capital Rome.

Secret filming by an undercover journalist claims to show one restaurant serving a salad dressed with thinly sliced flakes of dried dolphin fillet.

Independent laboratory tests carried out on the meat the journalist bought in the restaurant, and also from a wholesaler, confirmed it was dolphin.

Fishermen told the journalist that the meat normally came from dolphins caught up in their nets. One fisherman stated that they club the dolphins on the head if they are not already dead.

It is not clear if the fishermen are deliberately and illegally targeting dolphins, which can fetch high prices on the black market.