Massacred in Japan
Posted by feww on December 19, 2011
Image of the Day: Sea of Dolphin Blood
Image copyrighted by Sea Shepared see Blog’s Fair Use Notice.
Taiji Sea of Red. Click image to enlarge.
“Killing Nation, Killing Town”
“The slaughter of 20,000 dolphins, porpoises, and small whales occurs in Japan each year. Starting on September 1st and usually continuing through March of the next year, fishermen herd whole families of small cetaceans into a shallow bays and mercilessly stab and drown them to death.” Sea Shepard
“The Taiji Slaughter Cove”
“As many as 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are killed in Japanese waters each year[1]. Most (18,000 of that number) are Dall’s porpoises killed at sea by harpoon in the northern part of the country. The March 11, 2011, tsunami destroyed much of the infrastructure associated with this slaughter. It remains to be seen if the slaughter will revive to its pre-earthquake numbers.”
“Most of the dolphins and small whales captured in the Taiji FU drive hunts are killed and the meat is sold in for human consumption. Respected scientists the world over report on the high levels of mercury and other contaminants in the meat of these animals, but many Taiji locals ignore these warnings. They often say that there are plenty of old people around who ate dolphin all their lives, and they unfortunately accept the propaganda served to them by the Japanese government that the levels and threat of mercury in the meat is not significant.”
“This year (September 2011 – August 2012) the Taiji FU has a permitted quota for 2,165 dolphins and other small whales[2].” History of Taiji’s Cetacean Kill
Taiji, is located on the eastern shore of Wakayama Prefecture.
Following the arrest of Dutch citizen Erwin Vermeulen three days ago, Wakayama police has now raided the hotel where Sea Shepherd cove guardians and a Save Japan Dolphins monitor are staying.
In a desperate act and “an attempt to muzzle free speech and to cover-up the horrific slaughter of the dolphins at the Cove,” the Japanese police have confiscated the monitors’ property including “all laptops, cameras, phones” and other monitoring equipment, Sea Shepard said on their website.
[1] The actual numbers each year vary. 20,000 is on the high end. The reported numbers in recent years are dropping.
[2] Bottlenose dolphin – 652, Striped Dolphin – 450, Spotted Dolphin – 400, Risso’s Dolphin – 275, Long-finned Pilot Whale – 184, Pacific White-sided Dolphin – 134, False Killer Whale – 70.
Fire Earth 
Keiko said
U.S. ambassador “deeply concerned” about Japanese dolphin hunt
(Reuters) – In an unusual move, U.S. ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy has expressed deep concern over the traditional dolphin hunt in western Japan, where local fisherman corral dolphins in a secluded bay before killing many for meat.
The annual dolphin hunt currently underway in Taiji in western Japan has long been a source of controversy and was the topic of “The Cove,” an Oscar-winning documentary.
“(I am) deeply concerned by inhumanness of drive hunt dolphin killing,” Kennedy tweeted at the weekend, adding that the U.S. government opposes drive hunt fishing.
Every year the fishermen of Taiji – a small fishing town in Japan’s Wakayama prefecture – drive hundreds of dolphins into a cove, select some for sale to marine parks, release some back into the sea and kill the rest for meat.
Sea Shepherd, one of several animal protection groups that monitor fishermen in Taiji, said on Monday that more than 200 dolphins have been rounded up into the secluded bay by the shore off Taiji.
The organization is streaming live footage of Taiji’s cove, showing fishermen on several fishing boats rounding up the dolphins inside the bay. The dolphins are cordoned off by large fishing nets.
Taiji shot to global infamy after the 2009 release of “The Cove,” which was directed by former National Geographic photographer Louis Psihoyos. The film followed eco-activists who struggle with Japanese police and fishermen to gain access to the location of the hunt.
The movie met with fierce opposition in Japan from groups saying it was “anti-Japanese” and an affront to traditional culture.
Japan has long maintained that killing dolphins is not banned under any international treaty and that the animals are not endangered, adding that dolphins need to be culled to protect fishing grounds.
(Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Michael Perry)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/20/us-japan-environment-dolphins-idUSBREA0J03B20140120
craigschneider said
The Proud nation of Japan will never learn a lesson
From their animal abuse of Dolphins and illegal Whaling etc.
Maybe when Tokyo is hit with a 9.0 or above
It will pound some sense into their thick heads and their
Stubborn skulls. Nation’s that don’t respect the earth and it’s Creatures
Will be destroyed. Pride Always Comes Before A Fall!!
Dave Crowley said
This is appalling ! It brings tears to my eyes to see such Brutality! May the Earth wreak havoc on those responsible for this crime against nature, and the Ocean swallow the fishermen for their gruesome deed!
RuffleTheTeacher said
Well, Dave, I’d say it’s karma.
Kill the animals that are our intellectual rivals… tsunami devastate your lands.
Kill 20,000 dolphins and whales, entire towns will be washed away.
Hmmm…. I’d call it even.
edro said
“karma” is probably an oversimplistic view.
Nature would however make “tradeoffs” between some of her most intelligent creatures and the sadistic types who wantonly kill them.