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 