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History:

The small town of Taiji, Japan

The harming of endangered bottle-nosed dolphins occurs all around the world, but the most talked about place is Taiji, Japan. The killings have been occurring for many centuries. The annual hunt begins in September and lasts until April. Taiji is responsible for catching over 2,300 of Japans annual quota of 20,000 dolphins.After capturing the dolphins, they either sell them to be used as entertainment or they kill them in order to sell their meat. The citizens of Japan are not aware of the killings that have been occurring in Taiji. They did not have an opnion about the killings because they had no idea that they were going on. It was a huge secret until the documentary “The Cove” came out.

The Killings:

The fishermen use a method called “Dolphin Drive Hunting” in order to capture the dolphins. The fishermen do this by first surrounding a pod of dolphins in their boats.They then bang a metal rod that is placed in the water. While banging on the rod it creates a noise that confuses the dolphins sonar and forces them to swim away from the noise towards the cove. Once the dolphins are in the cove a net is placed around it so they are unable to escape. The fishermen sort through the dolphins with potential buyers in the shallow water. The buyers are people who are considering buying the dolphins and selling them to aquariums and other places to be used as entertainment. If the dolphins are not going to be sold for entertainment, they are then slaughtered. The slaughtering occurs in a separate cove that is private to the public. Because the killings are so horrible, the public is unable to see the cove. They are stabbed with spears until they are dead, then they drag them to an area where they are butchered and prepared to be sold.

Health Risks:

After dolphins are slaughtered in the cove, their meat is prepared and sold to markets all over Japan. It is even sold to schools to be served at lunch. The reason this is a concern is because of the mass amount of mercury found in dolphin meat, which is harmful towards humans. Mercury accumulates in the dolphins because of the mass amount of fish they consume throughout their lives. There are no warnings on labels letting people who consume the meat that it is toxic. People throughout Japan are not aware that the meat is harmful towards them. They consume the meat because they have been doing it for such a long time.

Fishermen of Taiji

The fishermen of Taiji do not believe that they are doing anything wrong when they are capturing and slaughtering dolphins in “The Cove”. The fishermen and people of Japan do not see it as being inhumane, they see it as a “tradition” that has been occurring for hundreds of years. They do not seem to see care that they are putting peoples health at risk by selling the dolphin meat. “Many Japanese fishermen believe dolphins should be treated like any other fish . . . The tradition of the hunt goes back several centuries and the worldwide condemnation of the killings is seen by many in Japan as an attack on their culture”. The fishermen are also accusing the United States of hypocrisy because they also kill mammals and other animals for food. Fishermen say that by stopping the hunt men will not have jobs and there will be no more industry. Miyato Sugimori, administrative chief of the Taiji Town Fisheries says, “We have no intention to stop hunting dolphins. Our young fishermen can’t continue to live in this town without the hunt. If we relied solely on other forms of fishing, our annual income would be about 2 million yen ($24,000), which is not enough to live on.” They do not have the slightest amount of guilt even though they know that they are harming an endangered species and their fellow citizens.

Activists:

The Cove

The activists believe the dolphin slaughtering in Taiji is not right and are taking a stand. The activist’s goal is to save dolphins from being caught for entertainment and from being slaughtered. Back in September 2009, the slaughtering came to a halt due to the publicity from the movie “The Cove”. The movie is a documentary in which activists embark on a mission to make people all around the world aware of the terrible killings that are occurring. They were able to film the area of the cove that is hidden where the actual killings occur. Another thing that they did is show the citizens of Japan a video of the slaughtering and they are not only shocked but also horrified. Most Japanese are not aware of the killings that are occurring. The goal of the movie was to make the world more aware of the killings and try to bring them to an end.

Ric O'Barry

The small town of Taiji, Japan

Ric O’barry who is not only in the movie but is also an activist and has been a large part of the fight. The thing that bothers O’Barry most is the fact that they capture dolphins and sell them to be used as entertainment. “Dolphins are free-ranging, intelligent, and complex wild animals, and they belong in the ocean, not playing the clown in our human schemes.” O’Barry feels very strongly about doing something about the killings and he believes that change is possible. He has a very interesting way of looking at it and believes, “They are in this for money. Take it away, and they’ll quit doing this.”

Hayden Panettiere

Another very popular and young activist is Hayden Panettiere. Hayden is an actress and has been seen in many movies and shows. Hayden and her friends traveled to Taiji to try to make an impact. Hayden and other activists tried to swim out to the dolphins on their surfboards but did not make it far before the fishermen started moving them back with their harpoons. She also tried to go meet the mayor and representatives from the local fisheries union, but was blocked by officials and was not allowed in. Hayden is determined to figure out a way to make peace with those in Taiji. "We are trying to peacefully come up with better ideas as to how to generate income and utilize the nature here . . . We've been to Taiji before and it's a beautiful place with beautiful wildlife.”[3] It has been very difficult for activists to act because of the strict security. Hayden is still an activist and is working to prevent the dolphins from being slaughtered.

In Los Angeles in 2010, protestors gathered because they believe that the slaughtering is wrong. They believed that the government is in the wrong because they allow a certain amount of dolphins to be killed each year and they are aware of the toxicity of the meat that their citizens are consuming.

See Also

Taiji dolphin drive hunt

The Cove

Ric O'Barry

Bottlenose dolphin

Further Readings

How you can help

External Links

The movie "The Cove"

Other Opinions