By Naomi Rose

For five years, the bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Futo, Japan, haven't had to fear the harsh, metallic pounding of the pipes used by drive fishermen to force the animals toward shallow waters and to their deaths. After considerable international pressure from the media and the general public, as well as a growing effort by a local fisherman to start a dolphin-watching business, Futo's fishing fleet had ceased its annual killing.

Then came the sudden shock of the events of November 11, 2004, when 100 bottlenose dolphins were driven into a Futo port. While just as brutal as previous drives, this particular hunt had one distinguishable characteristic: Most of the dolphins were released alive. Fourteen were taken from the water and sold to marine parks, and only five were killed. In other words, unlike past drives, the primary purpose here was apparently to acquire animals for Japanese aquariums.

The Bloody Anatomy of a Drive Fishery

The dolphin drive hunts are among the most brutal slaughters of wildlife in the world. In bloodbaths hard to imagine, fishermen in port towns such as Taiji kill tens, even hundreds, of bottlenose dolphins, Risso's dolphins, and false killer whales at a time. They kill them for meat (for human and animal consumption), to be processed as fertilizer, and because they consider them competition for fish; the fishermen also sell a select few to marine parks and aquariums.

Fishermen take out several small motorized boats to locate a pod of dolphins or whales. Once the fishermen locate a pod, they begin herding the animals toward shore, frightening them with the noise of the boats' engines and the banging of pipes underwater. Some eyewitnesses report that the fishermen also use underwater explosives.

The fishermen will then either drive the animals right onto the shore or trap them in a bay. Either way, the fishermen slaughter the dolphins by getting into the water and moving through the pod, stabbing animals to death. The fishermen may set some live animals aside for marine parks, removing the animals from the water using slings or stretchers. Animals destined for slaughter may be hauled out onto land with cranes, often still alive. The cruelty is enormous.

Until about five years ago, only two towns in Japan still conducted drives regularly—Futo and Taiji. Each year, the fishermen of Taiji kill hundreds, even thousands, of dolphins. In 2004, they conducted at least two drives, one in January and another in October. Dozens of bottlenose and Risso's dolphins were slaughtered, while some were set aside for sale to local marine parks. By contrast, the fishermen of Futo decided to discontinue their hunts in 2000, the result of a concentrated campaign by international and Japanese organizations (such as the Elsa Nature Conservancy) as well as the efforts of Izumi Ishii to establish a viable dolphin-watching business.

But demand from marine parks and aquariums may be compelling the fishermen to resume their regular massacres in Futo.

Marine Park Sales and Bogus Research

On the morning of November 11, ten fishing boats drove about 100 bottlenose dolphins into Futo Port. The next morning, the fishermen began removing dolphins in slings from the water, using cranes. Witnesses reported that 20 dolphins were removed this way—one was eventually returned to the sea with a tag attached (see below), and five were killed. Later that day, the survivors still in the port were released; the net preventing their escape was lifted and they were driven out of the port with pipes. The release of these dolphins suggests two things: 1) The main reason for this drive was to acquire live animals for sale to marine parks (six facilities purchased 14 dolphins); and 2) the argument usually used by fishermen—that dolphins must be culled to eliminate competition for fish—was not used to justify this particular drive.

However, the bare description above doesn't begin to depict the horrible details of what happened during those two days. The dolphins, upon arriving in the port, were traumatized and brutalized, many injured and bleeding. The water was stained brownish red with their blood. So even when the animals were released, no one could tell for certain whether or how well they survived once they disappeared up the coast. What's more, some dolphins did die in the chaos of the drive—at least four drowned in the nets and sank to the bottom of the harbor; there may have been more. Futo officials claimed that 80 dolphins were released, but witnesses believe it was far fewer.

One dolphin removed from the water was set on a dock mat and its dorsal fin fitted with a transmitter. The animal was then lowered back into the water and released with the others. The authorities claimed that a research project was being conducted; however, fitting only one animal with a tag will not yield much useful data about the pods near Futo, especially since the dolphin had been traumatized and its pod decimated. There was also a lot of blood around the attachment site—experts in tagging techniques maintain that a proper tag attachment would not result in this kind of injury. Finally, the tag was large and bulky, indicating perhaps an older transmitter (modern tags used by legitimate researchers are quite light and small); a large tag will cause considerable drag in the water and do enormous damage to the fin when it eventually falls off. It seems clear that this tagging drama was staged to convince the local media that there was "legitimate" science going on here.

What's more, Futo authorities attributed the five dolphin deaths to "research." The animals were butchered in a tent, which kept the public from witnessing the carnage. And their meat was carried off in buckets. It is difficult to imagine what kind of scientific questions the "researchers" could hope to answer by killing five animals out of 100 and tagging one. The meat in those buckets likely was headed toward the market, not the lab.

What the Public Doesn't See

The local authorities in both Taiji and Futo have taken to putting up "Keep Out" and "No Photography Allowed" signs near the killing shores in an effort to keep activists from witnessing and taping the slaughter. International media have focused on this cruel hunt for several years, and were almost certainly instrumental in causing Futo's five-year hunt hiatus.

Despite the obstacles, some video footage was collected by California-based BlueVoice.org, which has long been concerned about the dolphin drives, and photographs were obtained by the Elsa Nature Conservancy, a group that takes considerable risks in a society that does not welcome protest and non-conformist behavior. Another witness was the French animal group, One Voice. Both the BBC and CNN used documentation from these groups to cover the hunt in Britain, the United States and other markets. Unfortunately, according to the Elsa Nature Conservancy, local media coverage in Japan was weak, and in Futo members of the public actually praised the "scientific research" aspect of the drive.

Carnage in the Name of Captivity

Futo authorities are indicating there will be future hunts, and the primary motivation appears to be the profits available by selling live animals to marine parks. (Sakae Hemmi, a representative with Elsa, has stated, "If the captive industry had not demanded dolphins, Futo would not have carried out the drive fishery" in 2004.) The six facilities that purchased the 14 dolphins from Futo (apparently after pre-ordering them) were Shin-Enoshima Suizokukan (Aquarium), Awashima Marine Park, Marine Road/Dolphin Fantasy, Hosaka Marine Project, Shimoda-Kaichu Suizokukan, and Shinagawa Suizokukan. Several dolphins were sold to local aquariums, including the Taiji Whale Museum and the World Dolphin Resort, from the October hunt in Taiji.

The Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International will continue to coordinate with other international organizations and our colleagues in Japan to protest and seek an end to the drives. We will continue to support those groups, such as BlueVoice.org and One Voice, which bear witness and record the brutality. The attempt to pass off the killing as "scientific research" must be refuted at every opportunity. The HSUS/HSI will also continue to rebut the specious argument that marine mammals must be culled to protect fisheries.

As for the tragic irony of drive hunts supplying marine parks and aquariums with dolphins, this connection must be brought to the attention of the members of the public who patronize these businesses and who would be horrified to know the origin of the "happy" animals they watch perform. The fact that facilities that purport to be caretakers of marine mammals sometimes also back organized slaughters of those same species must be publicized worldwide. 

What you can do

Attend the Dolphin Day of Action

Naomi Rose is the marine mammal scientist for The HSUS.

Updated Sept. 13, 2006