Taiji fisherman capturing a bottlenose dolphin. Photo courtesy of Sea Shepherd
The annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan ended on Monday with dozens being slaughtered for meat and captured for sale to amusement parks, reports Sea Shepherd, an ocean activist group that campaigns against the practice and released photos documenting the weekend’s harvest.
Last week Japanese fishermen drove a pod of some 250 dolphins into a cove near Taiji. 41 of the dolphins were eventually slaughtered, while 52, including a rare albino calf, were taken into captivity to be sold to water parks around the work. The remaining dolphins were allowed to return to sea, although Sea Shepherd says many of those may die from stress and injuries sustained during the ordeal.
A rare albino bottlenose dolphin being driven toward the cove in Taiji. Photo courtesy of Sea Shepherd
Taiji’s dolphin hunt — the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary The Cove — has been heavily criticized by environmental groups who call it “barbaric”. Representatives of the industry maintain that it is a traditional practice.
The hunt came as activists in the United States stepped up a campaign against Sea World for its continued use orca whales in its amusement parks. Critics say the orcas, many of which have been captured from the wild, do not belong in captivity and present a danger to trainers. The controversy is the subject of Blackfish, a documentary released last year.
Sea Shepard is currently battling the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean in an attempt to disrupt its annual harvest of minke and fin whales. Japan claims the whaling is for scientific purposes, but environmentalists contend that the practice is inhumane and offers little of scientific value.
Rounding up bottlenose dolphin in the Taiji cove. Photo courtesy of Sea Shepherd
Fishermen put up tarps to obstruct the view of activists. But a gap in the tarp reveals blood-stained water. Photo courtesy of Sea Shepherd
Rounding up bottlenose dolphin in the Taiji cove. Photo courtesy of Sea Shepherd
Rounding up bottlenose dolphin in the Taiji cove. Photo courtesy of Sea Shepherd