Dolphin hunts continue in Japan

Tokyo defends slaughter as fishermen take cover in face of Western criticism

Japanese fishermen drove a large group of dolphins into shallow waters and killed at least 30 on Tuesday, hiding themselves behind a tarp, as the annual dolphin hunt that sparked protest in the West entered its final stages.

Both the US and British ambassadors to Japan have strongly criticized the "drive killings" of dolphins citing the "terrible suffering" inflicted on the marine mammals.

Every year the fishermen of Taiji, in western Wakayama prefecture, drive hundreds of dolphins into a cove, select some for sale to marine parks, release some and kill the rest for meat.

On Tuesday, at least 30 dolphins out of the group of more than 200 held in the cove since Friday were herded by boat engines and nets into a killing area of the Taiji cove.

Fishermen waiting in the shallow waters by the shore, some in wet suits with snorkeling masks on their faces, wrestled the dolphins into submission and tied their tails with ropes to stop them from escaping.

Before the killing began, fishermen pulled a tarp in front of the cove to prevent activists and reporters from seeing the killing. A large pool of blood seeped under the tarp and spread across the cove.

"A metal rod was stabbed into their spinal cord, where they were left to bleed out, suffocate and die. After a traumatic four days held captive in the killing cove, they experienced violent captive selection, being separated from their family, and then eventually were killed today," said Sea Shepherd Conservation Society activist Melissa Sehgal.

The annual hunt has long been a source of controversy and was the topic of The Cove, an Oscar-winning documentary that brought Taiji into the international spotlight.

Activists say that out of this year's group more than 50 dolphins were taken away to be sold to aquariums. Those not killed on Tuesday were released, they said.

"The UK opposes all forms of dolphin and porpoise drives; they cause terrible suffering. We regularly raise (the issue) with Japan," British Ambassador to Japan Timothy Hitchens said in a tweet on Monday.

Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to Tokyo, said she was "deeply concerned by the inhumanness of drive hunt dolphin killing", adding that Washington opposes the practice.

That was followed on Monday by the publication of an letter by late British singer John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, who called on the fishermen to end the hunt because of the impact it had on the image of Japan abroad.

Tokyo defends hunt

Japan maintains that killing dolphins is not banned under any international treaty and that the animals are not endangered.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga defended the annual dolphin hunt on Monday, saying that dolphin fishing in Japan is carried out in accordance with the law.

"Dolphin fishing is a form of traditional fishing in our country," he said, responding to a question about Kennedy's criticism. "We will explain Japan's position to the American side."

Other Japanese officials have also hit back, accusing campaigners of double standards and saying the hunt is part of the country's culture.

"We take away lives of animals like cows and pigs daily," said Yoshinobu Nisaka, governor of Wakayama prefecture, where Taiji is located. "I don't think it is logical to say that it is only cruel to eat dolphin meat."

"Dietary culture varies and it is the wisdom of civilization to mutually respect other standpoints unless the world faces a lack of resources," Nisaka said.

The dolphin-hunting season runs yearly from September to March. Sea Shepherd said 176 marine mammals had been killed this season before Tuesday's slaughter.

Monitoring is difficult, with fishermen erecting tarps over their killing area and blocking access to the cove.

Reuters - AFP - AP

Dolphins are driven to the shallows of a cove in Taiji, western Japan, on Tuesday. The controversial dolphin-hunting season runs every year from September to March. On Tuesday, at least 30 dolphins were slaughtered by fishermen. Adrian Mylne / Reuters

(China Daily 01/22/2014 page12)