Despite the growing worldwide outcry that the practice is inhumane and unsustainable, at least 150 dolphins have been slaughtered by drive fisheries in waters off the Japanese village of Taiji this fall.
In October and November, the waters near Taiji were literally stained red with the blood of dolphins. Between October 1 and October 5, fishermen rounded up and slaughtered 91 striped dolphins in a small bay near Taiji. On October 23, they killed 13 short-finned pilot whales (actually a species of dolphin). On November 4, they slaughtered 13 Risso's dolphins (a large gray dolphin).
And despite international protests, on November 7 fishermen slaughtered between 30 and 40 more pilot whales who had spent at least one night of trauma and confusion trapped by nets in the bay. The killing may continue until April. The hunt is supported in part by the sale of individual dolphins to Asian marine parks.
The Japanese have hunted dolphins and whales for generations, often using drive fisheries. In drive fisheries, dolphins located offshore are herded by boats and loud noise into shallow bays or beaches and then killed by having their throats or necks cut. The slaughter is particularly painful to dolphins, who struggle as their blood gushes out into the water.
The animals are processed for meat (sold as steaks or in cans) or for fertilizer. As many as 1,200 to 1,500 dolphins have been killed in this way each year in the last decade.
And while aquaria and marine parks don't want their visitors to know it, they actually provide an incentive for killing the species they use to attract customers. Many dolphin hunters set aside a small number of individuals—young and unscarred—to sell for dolphin shows in Japan and the rest of Asia. (Before 1993, several U.S. facilities acquired dolphins from these hunts as well.) In fact, some fishermen say the drives might have been discontinued entirely some time ago, but for the profit to be had from selling live animals for thousands of dollars apiece to marine parks.
After a great deal of international pressure, the notorious Futo drive fishery was discontinued several years ago, and at least one former dolphin hunter has found success running dolphin-watching tours instead. But the drive fishery in Taiji is still held almost annually.
The Japanese government has been strongly criticized not only for allowing the cruel methods used to slaughter dolphins in drive fisheries but also for setting kill quotas that are not based on scientific evidence. Since the Japanese government has very little information on how many dolphins of any species inhabit the waters off its coasts, it has virtually no evidence to support its claim that the hunts are sustainable.
Japanese fishermen and officials frequently liken the drives to the slaughter of cows, sheep, or other animals consumed by humans. Dr. Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist for The HSUS, notes that the parallel may be justified in the many instances where domestic livestock is slaughtered inhumanely, because it has been proven that it is possible to kill livestock humanely. But, she explains, there has been no such proof in the case of dolphins.
"Because dolphins are wild animals, they are difficult to control, and because of their specific anatomy, they are almost impossible to kill quickly. Humane issues aside, an important difference is that there is no threat of extinction for domestic livestock. Dolphin hunts using flimsy quotas have already led to declines in dolphin populations, and should the hunts continue, local extinction may yet occur," Rose says.
Despite the cruelty and unsustainability of drive hunts, they continue because of the highly lucrative trade in live animals for public display, Rose believes. "The public that pays to see dolphins in captivity has already demonstrated its willingness to pay to see dolphins in the wild. The Japanese government has so far ignored the fact that dolphin-watching, a non-consumptive use of dolphin 'resources,' would almost certainly bring in greater revenue, with far less controversy and far more international approbation, than do drive fisheries," she says.
"Until Japan accepts this economic reality, it will continue to turn the sea red with blood."
What You Can Do
Attend the Dolphin Day of Action
Write to Japan's Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Yoshiyuki Kamei. Tell them that you are horrified that Japan's government continues to allow this cruel and unsustainable practice. Suggest that Japan turn to dolphin watching rather than dolphin killing to earn money. Write to:
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
Prime Minister's Office
2–3–1 Nagata-cho
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100–0014, Japan
Minister Yoshiyuki Kamei
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Yoshiyuki Kamei
1–2–1 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100–8950
