Loving Dolphins to the Bone !!!

Fig 1: Casual Loop Diagram showing dolphin slaughtering situation in Taiji

The Asian town of Taiji, Japan (Fig. 2), has recently become the focus of the International Media. Taiji is a small coastal town in the central southern part of mainland Japan, home town of Flipper (the dolphin series on TV). This town was primarily known as a whaling town. In fact, Japanese traditional whaling techniques were dramatically developed here in the 17th century. The commercial hunting of dolphins remains a major source of income for its residents. Taiji has a population of 3,444 people with a substantial number of people engaged in dolphin meat business. The major problem in this area seems to be that of slaughtering hundreds of dolphins and whales for money – a billion dollar business. In fact Taiji today is the largest dolphin slaughter area in the world (O’Barry H., 2010)

Fig.2 Map of Taiji: Japan

Source: Google Earth

Usually, the hunting season begins on Sept. 1st, lasting through March. According to Rich O’ Barry, leader of the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition Team and ex-personal trainer of Flipper, no captures or slaughter took place during the time they where there observing and trying to film these cruel scenarios (Fig. 3). According to Brian and his team much has changed since 2003 when they first started working on safeguarding mammals in Japan. Back then, dangerous confrontations with the Japanese dolphin hunters were common. Team members were frequently assaulted and opposition was very strong.

Unfortunately, once the team left Taiji, reports surfaced that boats proceeded to capture “about 100” bottlenose dolphins and 50 pilot whales. A representative of the Taiji Town Council indicated that some of the live bottlenose dolphins would be retained to sell on the world market to aquariums. Activists found out that many fishermen and their families would like to cooperate and bring to end this macabre business but on the other hand still defending their tradition of hunting, equating it to cow slaughtering in the Western world. Other citizens stipulated that although consuming dolphin and whale meat regularly they were unaware of what dolphin hunting involved. It seems that the government made its utmost to hide the truth about this business.(O’Barry, R. 2009)

Fig. 3: Dolphin slaughtering in The Cove
Source: http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2009/04/dolphin-slaughter-in-japan/

The only policy available seems to be that related to the starting and ending of dolphin fishing season. Two to three thousand dolphins are approximately killed during the dolphin-hunting season (Fig.4). At the moment political discussions are considering to formulate and implement a no-slaughter policy. But it is not clear yet whether Taiji will agree to abide by it. Reports indicate that the initiation of a new “no-slaughter” policy in response to intense international pressure is no easy task as traditional dolphin hunt glorifies the dolphin slaughter. In fact this creates a positive image where the same fishermen, carrying out courageous deeds, are depicted as the saviours of their communities. So while the dolphin hunters hide behind “tradition,” their modern dolphin killing machine marches on.

As depicted in the award-winning documentary The Cove (available online http://thecovemovie.com/), the Japanese fishing authority issues approximately 23,000 permits annually to fishermen around its shores and Taiji alone, slaughters 1,500 or more dolphins annually. The demand for this industry is further increasing by the many aquariums and swim-with-dolphins programs. All this leads to an unprecedented increase in the number of dolphins killed which undoubtedly endangers the species. (Jefftego, 2009)

Sadly, dolphins are still being hunted and killed in large numbers in Taiji, regardless of the no-slaughter policies issued (Fig. 4). The latter were nothing but a strategic short-term publicity stunt, aimed at reassuring and alienating the international media that bottlenose dolphins would no longer be killed, whilst stakeholders persisted in this prosperous business.

Ironically, according to several laboratories test carried out by the Coalition Team it was proofed that the dolphin meat sold to an unsuspecting Japanese public is poisoned, contaminated with mercury, methyl-mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other toxins that accumulate up the food chain. It is only a matter of time before the Japanese public realizes that the dolphin hunters, supported by their government, have been selling them poison to eat. Fortunately enough today Japan has a new Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety, Ms. Mizuho Fukushima who recognizes such danger and so has agreed to investigate the mercury issue in dolphin meat and their distribution in retail outlets. (O'Barry, R. 2009)

Fig 4. Slaughtered dolphins at Taiji open market
Source: http://octaveonline.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/dols1.jpg

In conclusion, it is clear that money is the driving force of such a scenario. As illustrated in Fig 1, the Japanese government and locals act greedily to increase the GDP and satisfy their traditional beliefs. They do not take into consideration that fishing methods have changed drastically in the last decades and fishing that was done sustainably some time ago is now being practiced uncontrollably. The Japanese government keeps issuing hundreds of permits and dolphin slaughtering is increasing alarmingly. This is posing serious threats to the marine environment and specie biodiversity as these animals may become extinct. On the other hand, certain pollutants such as mercury are being introduced into the marine ecosystem. This adds up to a large concentration of the same pollutants in dolphins and whales. In turn, bioaccumulation and biomagnifications are giving rise to local people’s health problems, especially those who consume large quantities of dolphin and whale meat. Health problems lead to a lower productivity, which in the long run will negatively affect the GDP of the country (see Fig.1).

Many activists are working incessantly to raise global awareness regarding such a disastrous practice. Japanese government is reluctant to change and issues laws without enforcing them. A case in point is the aforementioned 'no-slaughter policy'. The government’s interests lay more towards strengthening the present economy rather than safeguarding the environment and with it the economy of the generations to come.

References:

• O'Barry, H. 2010; What is happening in Taiji Now? [Available online]http://www.savejapandolphins.org/blog.html [Accessed on 15th Jan 2010]
• O'Barry, R. 2009; In Taiji, Japan, Fishermen in the Cove are still not killing Bottlenose Dolphins, but They are Killing Other Species [Available online] http://www.savejapandolphins.org/blog.html [Accessed on 15th Jan 2010]
• Jefftego, 2009; In Taiji, Japan, Fishermen in the Cove are still Killing Dolphins http://current.com/items/91715917_in-taiji-japan-fishermen-in-the-cove-are-still-killing-dolphins.htm [Available online] [accessed on 15th Jan 2010]