The brutal dolphin hunt begins in Taiji

Bloodbath in the Japanese city of Taiji, where the dolphin hunting season has officially begun. Hundreds will die for their meat amidst torture and muffled cries of pain, others will be captured to be sold to aquariums or private facilities

Harpoons, dolphins in their death throes trapped in the nets, crimson-colored waters – the annual, already ritualistic, dolphin hunt has officially commenced in Taiji, a small town in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.

Over 10 fishing boats of the Taiji Isana Association ventured into the waters early in the morning to capture their first victims. Simultaneously, several protesters appeared at the port and expressed their views against this decision.

A Bloodbath that starts every september

This slaughter starts every year on September 1st. Due to the passage of Tropical Storm Shanshan last weekend, which damaged and delayed, the hunting season opened today.

By Thursday, September 5th, several dolphins were now dead, and many more will continuously die in the coming months. Hundreds upon hundreds of dolphins will be killed along the coast or selected for sale to aquariums and marine parks.

According to Japanese media reports, this year’s quota provides for 1,800 cetaceans from nine different species. The Taiji dolphin hunt is a horrific, six-month-long practice approved and regulated by the Japan Fisheries Agency, which dictates how many can be killed. The carcasses are then taken to specialized processing facilities well out of public sight, and the meat is sold on the market.

Despite efforts to ban filming and permit protests, many activists have documented the horrors of Taiji, and proved to the world what goes on beneath those waters.

The Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, which won Best Documentary in 2010, brought international media attention to the Taiji dolphin hunts. Global protests increased with the release of the film, but continue today in a very inhumane manner.
Position of Wakayama

Wakayama Prefecture has taken the trouble on its Web site to devote a page to the dolphin hunt, explaining its position and saying the concerns about cetacean killings raised by The Cove have been resolved over the years.

“Dolphin fishing in the Kinan region is an important industry and a traditional culture of the area, carried out in accordance with relevant laws and regulations to contribute to the scientific management and use of marine resources,” the prefecture states.

A Call for an end to the hunt

However, nothing of the nature of this massacre is traditional, and that must not go on any longer. Dolphin Project continues to raise awareness about the dangers of this activity to cetaceans, to the ecosystem, and to human health.

Actually, dolphin meat is not needed for the survival of the people and even threatens the health of consumers because of the high level of mercury in the meat. The organization has raised public awareness about the town of Taiji and supported campaigns against dolphin killing since 2003.

This kill needs to be stopped, but today is not that day, and this year is not that year.

Sources: Dolphin Project – Wakayama prefecture