An annual butchering of dolphins is starting up this week in
Taiji, Japan, but local fishermen have had problems hunting the mammals
due to bad weather. The slaughters have been secretly filmed by the PBS
series, "Journey to Planet Earth" and in the 2009 critically acclaimed
documentary film, "The Cove" (videos below).
The fishermen are planning to launch another hunt on Sept.
4, which will include rounding up the dolphins in a small bay, reports
the South China Morning Post.
The fishermen then kill hundreds of dolphins in the bay, turning the water to blood red, noted The Guardian in 2014.
"The Cove" documented how the dolphin meat, some of it
containing mercury and other chemicals, is sold as different kinds of
seafood to Japanese consumers, including children, who are completely
unaware of what they're eating. Some of the younger dolphins are kept
alive and sold to aquariums.
The local fishermen claim the dolphins are not an endangered species, and they have the support of the Japanese government.
"The Cove" featured Ric O’Barry, a former dolphin trainer on
the TV series "Flipper," who has dedicated his life to stopping the
dolphin slaughters.
O’Barry was recently taken into custody by Japanese police
for allegedly not carrying his passport. The police claimed they
released O’Barry on Sept. 2, notes the South China Morning Post.
Japanese fishery officials stated that the annual coastal whaling hunt will begin soon and continue for two months.
Japan has defended its whale and dolphin hunts under
permission from the International Convention for the Regulation of
Whaling, but "The Cove" detailed how Japan provides financial assistance
to poorer, smaller nations, who in turn vote for Japan's interests at
the International Whaling Commission, which was set up by the
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. The head of the
fisheries agency, Masayuki Komatsu, admitted this in 2001, reported The
Guardian.
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