Your Dolphin Outlook this Week!

Monday was the ONLY day the people in Taji, Japan killed and captured Dolphins this week:
Days 52, 51, 50, 49 and 47 - Blue Cove
Day 48 - Red Cove - 6 boats in formation came back and shoots back dolphins in the bay. This pod of Dolphins could not escape the nets and closed the bay. They are now dead or in a pen waiting to be sold off to a place that uses Dolphins for Entertainment.
London: Loud and Proud for the Dolphins
London was loud and proud last Friday when — at its height, around 800 people aired their grievances outside the Japanese embassy for the dolphins killed in the drive hunts of Japan.

The Japanese dolphins drives which last for six months of the year, force wild dolphins swimming past the town of Taiji, into a cove, where they are sealed off from the ocean. Once they are contained, the marine mammals are killed for meat consumption or sold to captive facilities for entertainment purposes.

The Dolphin Project believes that London holds the key to ending this barbaric practice. “The protesters are are the best in the world,” said Ric O’Barry in an interview with Anneka Svenska. It proved this on Oct. 16, when the Japanese embassy chose to remove its flag from its own building. This has never happened before.
The Japanese flag being taken down is a sign of progress. — Ric O’Barry/Anneka Svenska
At the center of the demo was Ric, who has recently returned from Taiji cove. During his visit, he was forced to witness the cruelty of the hunts firsthand when a Risso’s dolphin died at his feet.
Ric was joined by Dominic Dyer of Born Free and Care for the Wild, by Cove Monitor Maria Nangle, and by Ollie Blackmore of Ollie’s Cycle Challenges. Blackmore recently completed a grueling, 3,600 kilometer bicycle ride from one end of Japan to the other, to raise awareness for Japan’s dolphins.

Ric was introduced by Dyer, and received a rousing welcome:
Video courtesy Julie Selby.
It was perhaps the loudest demo yet for the dolphins, who must constantly run the gauntlet as they transition past Taiji. Despite the drives receiving international condemnation, Japan continues to argue that they are cultural and tradition. It is reasoning easily disproved by history and local Japanese conservation groups.

Put simply, these dolphins are driven for profit.
From L-R: Cove Monitor Maria Nangle, Ollie Blackmore, Ric O'Barry and Jo Phillips. Image: Ollie's Cycle Challenges.
From L-R: Cove Monitor Maria Nangle, Ollie Blackmore, Ric O’Barry and Jo Phillips. Image: Ollie’s Cycle Challenges.
Even JAZA, the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums, recently told its members not to source dolphins captured in the Taiji drives. Yet the Taiji Fisheries Cooperative remains stalwart in its defense of the hunts and intends to continue hunting them. The Taiji Whale Museum chose to withdraw as a member of JAZA rather than give up its access to disposable dolphins.
The Japanese embassy in London removed its flag. This is unheard of.
The Japanese embassy in London removed its flag. O’Barry called this a “sign of progress.” Image: Ollie’s Cycle Challenges.
The local government of Taiji town may profess pride in what it does, but its actions prove otherwise. The dolphins are now killed beneath tarps and have wooden plugs inserted into the wounds to prevent them from bleeding out and turning the waters of the cove, blood red. Dolphin sales and transports are cloaked in secrecy but CITES permits reveal that these dolphins are shipped worldwide.
“It’s the same thing as taking the flag down, they’re trying to cover up the blood, they’re trying to hide it.”– Ric O’Barry/Anneka Svenska
Can you say loud? Nobody could doubt the passion of this protest. Image: Ollie's Cycle Challenges.
Can you say loud? Nobody could doubt the passion of this protest. Image: Ollie’s Cycle Challenges.
With Japan getting set to host the 2020 Olympics while its own people continue to struggle in the aftermath of Fukishima, is appalling.
The government is on the defense now now — I think it has to do with the Olympics because that represents billions of dollars and they want to find a way to sweep this under the rug — Ric O’Barry/Anneka Svenska
One thing is clear. The Japanese government can no longer choose to be a player on the world stage and then hide from its actions. On Friday, Oct. 16, the city of London placed them firmly on notice.
Someday, it will go away and I think London is the key to that. — Ric O’Barry/Anneka Svenska
Thank you London! It’s going to take far more than the removal of the Japanese flag to hide from the world, what the Japanese government currently endorses.
Watch Ric’s full interview with Anneka Svenska below:
Video courtesy Anneka Svenska
Mother and baby whale swim with mother and baby dolphin. Adorable drone footage shows humpback whales swimming with dolphins off the east coast of Australia. The moment a mother and baby whale and a mother and baby dolphin meet has been caught on camera off the east coast of Australia.


The amazing footage was captured using a camera which had been mounted to a drone.
In the clip, which was filmed in early October, two humpback whales can be seen swimming near the surface behind the two dolphins.
The whales seem fascinated by the smaller mammals, but the dolphins do not appear phased by their new company.
Mission Accomplished! Blackmore Cycles Japan for Dolphins
After four weeks of traversing the hazardous tunnels and precarious roads of Japan, Ollie Blackmore did it, he cycled the length of the country for dolphins, and he did it completely solo and unsupported. Beginning in Nagasaki, Blackmore reached Tokyo on September 29, where he met up with his beautiful girlfriend and now fiancée, Kate Lawrence.

“I haven’t cycled in nearly two weeks,” Ollie told me, although he hopes to get back on his bike this weekend. Who can blame him, he did hit more than his fair share of tough spots long the way. The largest of which, he said, was crashing the bike into some metal on a main road.

“I nearly came off into oncoming traffic, no idea how I didn’t! At first I thought I’d just punctured the front tyre but turns out I’d smashed the front and rear wheels and torn a hole in the back tyre.”
Cycle challenge Japan day 20 Koriyama to Mito, 85 miles
Ollie, cycling Japan. Image: Ollie’s Cycle Challenge/Facebook
Having a specialist size wheel hub, Blackmore was at a loss as to how to get the problem fixed — even finding the right parts would prove a challenge. But find them he did, and he even got the problem fixed … until his chain came off into the wheel while going up a 20% gradient hill.

“The shop that fitted them didn’t adjust the gears properly,” Ollie said, “and as a result of the width difference, the spokes broke, which meant even more repairs denting my progress.”

As for the weather, after enduring three solid days of typhoon rain and wind, waterlogged was an understatement. “So much water got into everything, my phone got wrecked, my GPS tracker, my lights, camera; it was all soaked Some things never worked again, I was glad when the sun came out again!”

Takayso-san accompanied Ollie to
Takayso-san accompanied Ollie to deliver aid to Fukushima disaster victims in Minamisoma.
Ensnared by traffic lights, closed roads, tolls roads and expressways that didn’t allow bicycles, Ollie had to adapt his route constantly. His planned trail, a total distance of 3,600 km, flew out of the window. “The total ended up being 3,242 km,” he said.
Still, he averaged 100 miles a day, with his best day topping out at 140 miles, so the cyclist took an extra day off his bike to take aid to the Fukushima disaster victims in Minamisoma.

So what will Ollie remember the most?

“How nice the Japanese people were to me, those I spoke to about my challenge didn’t agree with what happens in Taiji, but are afraid to speak out. It’s such a culture shock in that respect. Takayo, who arranged the visit to Minamisoma asked me why there are so many activists in the UK. I couldn’t think at first, but it didn’t take me long to realise why. We have no repercussions for speaking out in the UK, or many places in the world. In Japan, people receive threats, are harassed and ostracised for standing out. It’s very difficult for people who oppose dolphin hunts to gather support, even though many people think it’s cruel. Spending a day with Ric, Terran and Tim was amazing too. Surreal being at the cove in Taiji, these guys do such amazing work, I’m glad to be part of such an awesome team.”

Supplies for the Fukushima disaster victims in Minamisoma. Image: Ollie's Cycle Challenge/Facebook
Supplies for the Fukushima disaster victims in Minamisoma. Image: Ollie’s Cycle Challenge/Facebook
When Ollie hit Tokyo — safe and sound, it was a relief to everyone who had followed his journey. Let’s face it, he had time with Ric and the Dolphin Project team in Taiji at the cove, and with Takayo san at Minamisoma, but outside of that, he was stone cold solo in a strange country. The language barrier was tough, and the relationship with authorities have not been the best this year.

Although support was thousands of miles away — it was still forthcoming — from family and close friends, and even strangers he had never met.

“I’d like to thank my fiancée Kate,” Ollie said, “she has stuck by me throughout all of my challenges.  Her support and encouragement has really kept me going. Huge thanks to Kassei.cc for kit, Streetlife Cycles for advice and support with the bike, my team at Selesti and all of my family and friends cheering me on.  I also want to thank everyone who has connected with what I’m doing and who donated too.  The response has been overwhelming, in such a positive way.”
Congratulations Ollie and Kate. Welcome to the Dolphin Project Family! Image: Ollie's Cycle Challenge/Facebook
Congratulations Ollie and Kate. Welcome to the Dolphin Project Family! Image: Ollie’s Cycle Challenge/Facebook
The entire journey was an astonishing feat for Ollie. It was only his third cycle challenge — for charity, to date. There was a wonderful prize awaiting him in Tokyo, his then girlfriend Kate, whom he proposed to in Japan.
The proposal was supposed to happen back home in the UK, but, “the logistics of finding a ring so close to my challenge meant I didn’t get time,” Ollie said. “Every day on the ride I thought about proposing more and more, I bought the ring in Sendai, and carried it in tons of padding to Tokyo.”
After 4 weeks, I couldn’t wait to see @katejlawrence1! Finally spotted her in the busiest intersection in the world, couldn’t miss the #dolphin! What an adventure it’s been!! #cyclechallengejapan
Posted by Ollie’s Cycle Challenges on Thursday, October 1, 2015
Despite the long bike ride, Ollie assures me he isn’t done. “The challenge was just the beginning,” he said, “I have been so inspired and motivated to do more.”

And on Oct. 16, he reunited with Ric O’Barry at the massive protest in London where he gave a speech alongside other notable speakers, including Ric.
I’ve also made connections with the British Embassy in Tokyo, the government in the UK and I’m reaching out to other organisations too, to gain support and explore as many channels to campaign through,” he explained. “I’ll be heading to Japan again to cove monitor for sure, and doing more challenges too, my aim is to raise as much awareness as I can, and educate people about change. — Ollie Blackmore.
Our respect for Ollie’s passion and accomplishments is infinite. He has helped educate the people of Japan and thanks to his blogs, we have heard how the fear of retaliation still keeps Japanese people from speaking out. His grand adventure also netted well over $6,000 for Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project, and he did it all with a smile on his face.
“I’m in this for the long-haul,” Ollie said.

We couldn’t be more pleased. Thank you Ollie, and welcome to the family!

With your incredible help, this month AFD has:
  • Gone on national television to talk about the Taiji hunts and dolphin captivity 
  • Taken on IMATA, the world's peak marine animal trainers' association with shocking links to Taiji 
  • Mourned the loss of baby Ji at Dolphin Marine Magic and pressured NSW authorities to launch a new investigation into animal welfare breaches at the controversial marine park 
  • Applauded the decision of the California Coastal Commission in taking a stand against SeaWorld's cruel captive orca breeding program, and Made sure The Today Show knows it is not okay to promote dolphin captivity in 2015. 

As you can see, it's been a busy month. Why not take a minute to read our newsletter and find out what's been going on in the world of dolphin protection?

Talking dolphins 
Thank you to the team at Studio 10 for having AFD CEO Sarah Lucas on the show this month, to talk about the Taiji hunts and dolphin captivity.

Sarah explained how the aquarium industry provides economic motivation for the annual Taiji dolphin hunts, and took on myths surrounding dolphin captivity. "The science is clear," she told viewers. "Dolphins suffer in captivity."

If you didn't get a chance to catch Sarah's interview on the telly as it went live to the entire country, take a second to check it out now...

#ShameIMATA - Hands off Taiji dolphins! 
THANK YOU to the hundreds of caring dolphin advocates who wrote to IMATA asking them to stop their trainers participating in the cruel Taiji hunts.

In the next few weeks we plan to keep pressuring IMATA to take a stand against dolphin cruelty and ban its members from participating in the hunts - stay tuned for more info!

In the meantime, have a look at AFD’s recent letter to IMATA, demanding it take action against trainers tearing dolphins away from their families in the cove.

R.I.P. baby Ji Ling 
  
Dolphin Marine Magic in Coffs Harbour has announced the death of its youngest bottlenose dolphin, two year old Ji-Ling.

While the tragic incident occured two weeks ago, we still don't have an answer from the marine park to explain what caused Ji-Ling's untimely death.

What we do know is that mortality rates of captive dolphins are significantly higher than those in the wild – a disturbing fact when you consider the traditional risks to wild dolphins such as predators are absent, and the animals are meant to be under close veterinary supervision.

Ji-Ling’s death is a sad reminder that dolphins do not belong in captivity. We will continue to fight for an answer as to what caused poor baby Ji's tragic death.

Click here to read The Australian's article questioning the unexplained death.

And here to read more about the terrible treatment of dolphins at Dolphin Marine Magic.


Captivity under investigation
Fantastic news, dolphin defenders! After providing sufficient evidence showing Dolphin Marine Magic is breaking animal welfare standards, NSW authorities have agreed to investigate.

The standards clearly state: "Visitors must be encouraged not to kiss the animals".

Well, the phone number for Dolphin Marine Magic is '1300 KISSES', and it openly advertises that every single person who comes to the park is entitled to a “free dolphin and seal kiss”.

When we pushed this point, they farcically insisted it is the dolphins who kiss people, and not the other way around. Even though poor Bucky and the other dolphins have been trained to provide "kisses" on demand.

It's incredibly concerning to see Dolphin Marine Magic ignore the intent of the legislation - which is to protect dolphins and stop the transfer of dangerous pathogens - in favour of playing a ridiculous game of semantics. Especially when the youngest dolphin at this seriously questionable marine park has died a tragic and, as of yet, completely unexplained death.

We will continue to monitor this new investigation closely, and will keep calling for change.

If you want to take action to help, please sign the petition to bring an end to dolphin captivity in Australia.

A win for orcas at SeaWorld! 
Did you hear the good news? In an unexpected win for orcas, the California Coastal Commission has voted to allow the expansion of orca tanks at SeaWorld San Diego with the strict provision the marine park bans all captive orca breeding.

It would mean SeaWorld San Diego's current population of 11 whales would be the LAST orcas ever held at the facility.

“A ban on breeding would sentence these animals to a slow extinction in our care,” the president of SeaWorld San Diego told L.A Times.

This is a massive victory, putting SeaWorld in between a rock and a hard place. If it doesn't go ahead with the expansion, it will prove the whole development was a PR stunt, not a genuine effort to give cramped orcas more space. If it DOES build the tanks, it will be the beginning of the end of orca captivity at SeaWorld San Diego.

To read more about how this is a win-win situation for orcas, check out our recent blog article detailing why the coastal commission’s ‘yes’ vote to SeaWorld is a good thing.

Captivity Kills... ratings, that is 
This week we were extremely disappointed to see The Today Show Australia film the popular breakfast show live from SeaWorld on the Gold Coast.

The incredible news is so many of you contacted The Today Show to express disappointment in their decision, the blatant PR stunt blew up in their faces and YOU became the story!

This is a fantastic turn around for the dolphins, and has completely counteracted what was essentially a 3 and a half hour promotional ad for dolphin captivity beamed into living rooms across the country yesterday.

THANK YOU to everyone who contacted The Today Show to take a stand against animal cruelty.

If you agree dolphin circuses have no place on Australian television in 2015, you can still head to The Today Show's Facebook page and tell them it is time to put animal welfare before profit.

This is an important turning point in the conversation surrounding dolphin captivity, and reinforces that small actions can have a big impact.

Click here to read The Daily Mail's article on the thousands of people who slammed the Sea World stunt on social media.

Look snazzy, save dolphins 
If you want to wear your passion for conservation on your sleeve, take a look at Australia for Dolphins' online shop.

Every dollar raised helps fund effective, peaceful campaigns to fight dolphin suffering around the world.

Also: free shipping on all domestic orders! So jump online and grab yourself some sweet dolphin swag today. You dolphinately won't regret it.

Keep up the great work, dolphin defenders 
  
As always, thank you so much for everything you have done to help protect dolphins from suffering and cruelty. None of this work would have been possible without the support of passionate, caring people like you.

With your support, I know we are one step closer to a world where dolphin hunting is a thing of the past.

If you want to put the odds in our favour, please consider becoming a member of Australia for Dolphins today.

Again, thank you so much for all that you do for dolphins - I'm sure they appreciate your support as much as I do.

Sea Shepherd Documents Dead Juvenile Risso’s Dolphin, Believed to have Been Killed and Dumped at Sea by Taiji Hunters

Sea Shepherd believes the hunters have been dumping the bodies of slaughtered Risso’s calves and juveniles to avoid including them in the annual Risso’s quota, which was exceeded last season.
Sea Shepherd's Cove Guardians believe that this young Risso's dolphin was among a pod slaughtered by the Taiji hunters on Oct. 19.  Photo: Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd's Cove Guardians believe that this young Risso's dolphin was among a pod slaughtered by the Taiji hunters on Oct. 19.
Photo: Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has documented the body of a juvenile Risso’s dolphin who washed ashore on the rocks in Taiji, Japan on Tuesday (Japan time), believed to have been slaughtered alongside its family pod and dumped at sea by the Taiji hunters so its tiny body would not be counted against the killers’ annual quota of Risso’s, which was exceeded last year.
Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardian volunteers stationed on the ground in Taiji believe that this young dolphin was among a pod of 18-20 Risso’s dolphins driven into Taiji’s infamous cove and slaughtered on Oct. 19 (Japan time). Since the 2015-2016 drive hunt season began on Sept. 1, the only species of cetacean slaughtered to date has been Risso’s, with a total of approximately 73-76 dolphins killed. On multiple days Sea Shepherd has documented the hunters leaving the cove in skiffs following a slaughter, with tarps draped across the vessels, hiding what appears to be the small bodies of juvenile Risso’s dolphins.
Sea Shepherd believes that the hunters are dumping the bodies of these dolphins, who swam wild and free before being driven to the deadly shores of Taiji, in order to keep them from counting toward their annual Risso’s quota. Since Risso’s are typically killed for human consumption by the hunters and not taken captive, the hunters likely do not want the smallest members of these pods to count toward their quota, as they would not produce much meat. Last season, the Risso’s quota was exceeded, and this year’s quota of 256 Risso’s may very well be exceeded too as the season continues until March 2016.
“The dolphin killers may be dumping these young Risso’s at sea to manipulate their kill numbers, but Sea Shepherd – and thousands of our Cove Guardian supporters around the world who have been following our updates from Taiji – know the truth that is hidden under the tarps. These dolphins were slaughtered, just like their families, and should be counted in this season’s death toll,” said Sea Shepherd Campaign Coordinator, David Hance.
“The ocean knows no quotas. Whether the number reported by the Taiji Fisherman’s Union reflects the true number of dolphins killed or not, the same number of cetacean families – entire bloodlines at a time – have been stolen from the sea, from the marine eco-systems that support all life on Earth. Taiji’s dolphin massacre is unsustainable as well as unspeakably cruel,” added Hance.
Along with concerns over the impact of Taiji’s hunt on Risso’s numbers, Sea Shepherd is also concerned that the reason other species have not been found by the hunters is because the populations of other cetacean species may be declining in Japanese waters due to the yearly killings. Bottlenose is the only other species of dolphin that has been driven into the cove thus far this season. Located by the hunters on Sept. 19 (Japan time) and held overnight in the cove without food or shelter, a large pod of bottlenose dolphins faced two days of brutal and violent captive selection. 50 members of the pod were stolen from the sea to be sold for captivity, while 28-30 dolphins were driven back out to sea. These were mostly juveniles who have little to no chance of survival without the protection of their mothers or pod.
Along with monitoring and live streaming of the drive hunt, captures and slaughters, Sea Shepherd’s 2015-2016 Operation Henkaku campaign, the organization’s sixth consecutive season of its Taiji Dolphin Defense Campaign, features an increased focus on raising awareness of the inextricable link between the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji and the international captive cetacean industry. Sea Shepherd believes that the drive hunt could not be sustained by the sale of dolphin meat for human consumption, as demand for dolphin and whale meat has sunk to an all-time low. One slaughtered dolphin produces approximately $600 USD worth of meat – but one trained captive dolphin can be sold by the hunters for as much as $250,000 USD.
“The death of the young Risso’s dolphin who washed ashore is a barbaric by-product of the captive industry, just like the deaths of all other dolphins who have fallen victim to Taiji’s killers. The highly lucrative trade in live dolphins for captivity is the economic fuel that not only drives Taiji’s hunting boats, it drives dolphins straight to their deaths in the cove,” said Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Founder and Senior Strategic Advisor for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. “Until there is no longer a demand for captive dolphins and whales around the world or until the world steps up and demands an end to the brutal hunts from the government of Japan, cetaceans will continue to die in Taiji.”
For six months of each year, from Sept. 1 until March, entire family units, or pods, of dolphins and small whales are driven into the cove. Banger poles are struck against the side of the hunting boats to create a “wall of sound,” disorienting the sound-sensitive marine mammals and making it nearly impossible for them to escape the drive. The members of these frightened pods will face either imprisonment in captivity or brutal slaughter before the eyes of their families. Killers and trainers work side-by-side to select the “prettiest” dolphins and whales for captivity, those without visible scars. The others are mercilessly stabbed with a metal spike inserted into their backs, just behind the blowhole, to sever their spine. The dolphins slowly and painfully bleed to death or drown in the blood of their family members – others may die slowly as they are tethered and dragged to the butcherhouse, where the once living and free cetaceans are butchered and processed into meat. These inhumane killings are a blemish upon Japan, whose government refuses to sign on to many protection efforts and regulations for marine mammals, despite most of the world recognizing the need to protect these highly intelligent, self-aware and beloved animals.
Injuries are clearly visible on the face and body of the young Risso's dolphin.  Photo: Sea ShepherdInjuries are clearly visible on the face and body of the young Risso's dolphin.
Photo: Sea Shepherd
Facial wounds on the Risso's dolphin, possibly from injuries sustained during the drive hunt or slaughter.  Photo: Sea ShepherdFacial wounds on the Risso's dolphin, possibly from injuries sustained during the drive hunt or slaughter.
Photo: Sea Shepherd


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHO IS KILLING THE DOLPHINS?

Here is a statement we commonly encounter: “The Japanese are killing the whales and dolphins!”  But it is not the Japanese people who are doing this. The capture of dolphins in the small fishing village of Taiji, for example, is carried out by about 26 fishermen. They kill the dolphins with permits from their government.  Another two dozen or so help with the slaughter on the beach, carving up and distributing the meat. Most of the people in the town of Taiji have nothing to do with the hunts. The majority of people in Japan are totally unaware of this annual government-sanctioned dolphin blood bath, and it is government-sanctioned and therefore legal in Japan.

HOW DO THEY KILL THE DOLPHINS?

Just before sunrise, the fishermen herd the trapped dolphins into shallow water, close to the rocky beach. When the documentary: ‘The Cove’ was filmed, fishermen killed the dolphins with long, sharp spears. Often times, they would stab the dolphins with sharp fishermen’s hooks and haul the still living dolphins onto their boats. The cruelty was enormous. The dolphins thrashed about in their own blood, and their screams filled the air. The slaughter turned the waters of the Cove red with blood.
Since ‘The Cove’ came out, the fishermen have altered their killing methods. They now pull the dolphins underneath an array of plastic tarps (set up to prevent us from fllming the slaughter).  There, the fishermen push a sharp metal spike into the dolphins’ necks just behind the blowholes, which is supposed to sever the spinal cord and produce an instant “humane” death. The fishermen then push dowel-like wooden corks  into the wounds to prevent their blood from spilling  into the Cove; this is done so that we cannot film it. This isn’t ‘humane’, in fact, we have film footage from hidden cameras that show the dolphins thrashing for several agonizing minutes.
One of our Cove Monitors — Hans Peter Roth, along with a German filmmaker from a group called Atlantic Blue, accessed the Cove after dark and planted hidden cameras to capture the slaughter process. Our Cove Monitors have even observed some dolphins still alive and moving when they were hauled to the slaughter house.
In a 2013 study which appeared in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, scientists criticized the methods used by the fishermen, and said:
Our veterinary and behavioral analysis of video documentation of this method indicates that it does not immediately lead to death and that the time to death data provided in the description of the method, based on termination of breathing and movement, is not supported by the available video data.
First: A metal spike is rammed into the dolphin just behind its blowhole/AtlanticBlue.de
First: A metal spike is rammed into the dolphin just behind its blowhole/AtlanticBlue.de

Second: The wound is plugged with a dowel-like cork to prevent blood from seeping into the Cove/Atlantic Blue.de
Second: The wound is plugged with a dowel-like cork to blood from seeping into the Cove/lAtlantic Blue.de

WHY DO THEY KILL THE DOLPHINS?

Officially, the main purpose of the dolphin hunt is to provide dolphin meat to the Japanese people — but only a small minority of people in Japan actually eat the meat. During our many campaigns in Japan, we received the impression that dolphin meat is considered “trashy,” unlike the much more expensive whale meat.
DNA tests on meat labeled “whale meat” in Japanese markets have revealed the meat is in fact falsely-labeled dolphin meat.  Whale meat sells for more money than dolphin meat, so Japanese consumers are tricked into buying dolphin meat that is  mislabeled as “whale” meat.
There is another essential, and rather shocking, aspect to the dolphin hunt: During a meeting with the Taiji fishermen in January 2004, the fishermen told us that they not only hunt dolphins for their meat and for sale to the dolphinarium industry, but they hunt them “as a form of pest control.” From the fishermen’s perspective, the dolphins eat too much fish, and the fishermen are simply killing the competition. This is the first time ever that Japanese dolphin hunters have openly admitted to executing pest control on dolphins.
Overfishing of the oceans is a tremendous problem on a global level, and the Japanese fishermen, supported by their government, are wrongly blaming the dolphins for this depletion. The Japanese government is making the same false argument in front of the International Whaling Commission — that whales eat fish and therefore need to be controlled by killing.
The desire to keep the dolphin population down is a major reason why the Japanese government is keen to issue permits for the hunts. It is not really about providing meat for the Japanese people, and it is not really about maintaining what the fishermen repeatedly refer to as their “tradition” or “culture.” It is about eradicating as many dolphins as possible in order to make the oceans’ fish available to themselves.
We know of several areas in Japan where local dolphin populations have declined or been eradicated by this mentality, fully supported by the Japanese government. In addition, the powerful Japan Fisheries Agency promotes the killing of dolphins and whales as part of Japan’s “food culture”, despite the fact that few Japanese people are interested in eating whale and dolphin meat anymore. This is evidenced by the huge surplus of meat kept in refrigerated warehouses.
The Agency sees their role as protecting the Japanese people from the consequences of overfishing worldwide – if environmentalists shut down whaling and dolphin killing, they believe that other Japanese fishing methods and species might be attacked. The whaling staff of the Japan Fisheries Agency has an additional very personal incentive to maintain the hunts, the sale of whale meat and government subsidies provided to protect whaling, pays for their salaries. If the killing of whales and dolphins end, these bureaucrats will be out of a job.

WHAT SPECIES DO THEY KILL AND HOW MANY?

The Japanese Fisheries Agency has authorized fishermen to kill or capture almost 16,000 cetaceans — just this year alone. When ‘The Cove’ documentary was being made, the number of annual permits issued at that time was more than 23,000.
Almost 2,000 of these may be killed in the dolphin drive hunt in Taiji, also known as the “drive fishery.” The rest are killed with hand-held harpoons from small boats at sea around the coast of Japan, especially in northern ports. While quotas are going down for the drive fishery, and less dolphins are being slaughtered, there has been a gradual increase in the numbers of dolphins captured for the display industry.
This graphic from Ceta-Base.org cover the years between 2000-2013, when a total of 19,092 small cetaceans were taken in the drive fishery at Taiji, Japan. Ceta-Base writes that 17,686 of these were slaughtered while 1,406 were taken as live-capture for sale to the captive display industry:
cbgraphic
The targeted dolphin species include:
  • Bottlenose
  • Risso’s
  • False killer whale
  • Pacific white-sided
  • Short-finned pilot whale
  • Pantropical spotted
  • Striped
Risso's dolphin captured in the Cove.
Risso’s dolphin captured in the Cove.

WHY IS IT CALLED “DRIVE FISHERY”?

The term “drive fishery” derives from the method of driving, or herding, dolphins into a designated killing cove or harbor. We avoid the term “drive fishery,” as it leads many to believe that we are talking about fish rather than large marine mammals. Therefore, we call it the “dolphin drive hunt.” The annual dolphin drive hunt is one part of coastal whaling conducted in Japan.
Drive_Boats_Cove_RWilliams_10-12

WHEN DOES THE DOLPHIN DRIVE HUNT TAKE PLACE?

For several years, the dolphin drive hunt in Taiji took place from October 1st through March. In recent years, however, the dolphin hunters in Taiji have started the dolphin-killing season on September 1st. In the past few years, the dolphin hunters, due to a lack of demand for dolphin meat in Japan, have ended the hunts a month early, at the end of February rather than the end of March. We believe our Campaign to highlight the dangers of eating mercury-contaminated meat is the reason demand for meat, and hence the annual hunts, are decreasing in size.
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HOW DO THEY CAPTURE THE DOLPHINS?

The fishermen of Taiji have developed a highly effective method of locating, capturing and eradicating dolphins, sometimes as many as one hundred or more in a single day. Before sunrise, about 26 fishermen board their 13 motorized boats and head out to deep water where the dolphins migrate. The dolphins have been using these migratory paths for thousands, perhaps millions, of years, and the hunters know exactly where to find them.
When a school of dolphins swims by, the fishermen position their boats one behind the other, perfectly evenly spaced. Then they lower several stainless steel poles into the water, one on each side of each boat. The poles are flared out at the bottom much like a bell, which amplifies the sound produced when the hunters repeatedly hit the poles with hammers. The noise creates a wall of sound underwater, and the dolphins suddenly find themselves trapped between this wall of sound and the shoreline.
In an attempt to escape the sound, the dolphins swim in the opposite direction, toward the shore. The dolphins’ panic and with the loss of their navigational sense, the fishermen can drive them into a small, hidden Cove near Taiji harbor. The fishermen seal the mouth of the Cove with several nets, and the dolphins are trapped.
Risso's Drive 11/14/14 Photo Courtesy: DolphinProject.net
Risso’s Drive 11/14/14
Photo Courtesy: DolphinProject.net

WHY DO THE HUNTERS LEAVE DOLPHINS IN THE COVE OVERNIGHT BEFORE THEY KILL THEM?

As was often the case, the dolphin hunters sealed the dolphins in the Cove, and returned the next day at sunrise to kill them. We have seen this less and less over the last few years. As our presence in Taiji at the Cove has become better known, fishermen are now killing the dolphins immediately, rather than leaving them overnight. Those species that are held overnight, tend to be ‘money dolphins’ — like the bottlenose, although pilot whales are often held through the night as well.
Attractive dolphins such as bottlenose, are in high demand by aquaria worldwide. Following a successful drive, the following day the bottlenose pod is often raided of its young, trainable dolphins — prior to slaughter. These animals are then sold to marine parks for large amounts of money.
One theory for larger species being held overnight, is that the dolphin meat tastes better when the animals are left to calm down after the chase. But this is hard to believe. We have spent hours observing schools of dolphins after they were chased into the killing cove. At no point do they appear to be “relaxed.” On the contrary, they spend the entire time hyperventilating, circling their confinement and looking for a way out.
We think there are two reasons that the fishermen don’t kill some of the dolphins right away: The drive at times can take hours, and by the time the fishermen have chased the dolphins into the killing cove and sealed their fate with nets, they just want to go home. It’s much more convenient for them to rest up and return to the cove the next morning to kill and butcher the dolphins.
The fishermen also depend on a high level of secrecy to continue the dolphin hunt. They don’t want the Japanese people to know about it, and they don’t want us to film it. By killing the dolphins at sunrise, they make sure the Japanese public won’t witness it, and by draping the killing area in tarps, they ensure we cannot film it.
Blood Cove Barnes Small 5-11

WHY CAN’T YOU PUT OUT NOISE MAKERS OR BOATS TO BLOCK THE HUNTS?

We often get this question.  The people of Taiji and the hunts are closely guarded by the Japanese police and Coast Guard.  If a boat gets too close to the dolphin drive, they are cut off by Coast Guard vessels and warned to stay away.  Any noise making machine place on the bottom of the ocean would be heard and found by the fishermen or the Coast Guard, who would of course pull it up and disable it.  It is also likely that our staff or volunteers would get arrested and deported for any interference in the dolphin hunts.  Interfering with the hunts is simply not practical.

WHY DON’T THE DOLPHINS JUMP THE NETS?

We are asked this many times, and understandably so. When standing at the mouth of the killing cove in Taiji, we have often looked down at a school of dolphins trapped in the killing cove. From above, it’s obvious that all the dolphins have to do is jump the nets, and they would be out of harm’s way. But the dolphins don’t have this advantage of seeing everything from above. They don’t know what’s on the other side of the nets.
To us, a jump would be a leap into safety. To them, it’s a leap into the unknown. It’s also important to keep in mind that nets and other artificial boundaries are foreign objects to wild dolphins. Living in a three-dimensional world, the only boundaries they know are the shoreline and the ocean’s surface. These are a natural boundary that dolphins understand. A net, on the other hand, is completely unfamiliar to them. They are probably afraid of this strange phenomenon and therefore stay away from it. Dolphins in captivity have to be trained to jump over things – it is not a natural behavior.
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HAVE YOU EVER SEEN DOLPHINS ESCAPE AFTER THEY WERE CHASED INTO THE KILLING COVE?

Yes, a few times. Once, a young pilot whale, no more than a year old, swam across the net in a place where it had been placed so low that its upper edge touched the surface of the water. The pilot whale managed to do the same with the second net, and for a little while was free to swim away. A large pilot whale immediately joined the young calf.
Although they could have easily fled, the pilot whales remained close to their still trapped pod members. It was a dolphin trainer who alerted the fishermen that two pilot whales had escaped. Aided by the trainer, the fishermen brought their boats around and chased the pilot whales back into the killing cove. The entire school of pilot whales was killed and butchered the next morning.
Pilot whales are highly socialized and won't leave fellow family/pod members.
Pilot whales are highly socialized and won’t leave fellow family/pod members.

WHY DO MEMBERS OF THE DOLPHINARIUM INDUSTRY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HUNT?

We have been reporting from Taiji regularly since 2003, and the most shocking aspect of the dolphin drive hunt is the active role that some dolphinariums play in sustaining the hunt. Dolphinariums are always looking for ways to obtain more dolphins. Many times, the fishermen of Taiji will drive a large school of bottlenose dolphins into the killing cove, and dolphin trainers and marine mammal veterinarians flock to the scene to seek out the best-looking dolphins for their display facilities.
By doing business with the dolphin killers, they are helping to maintain the dolphin drive hunts. A live dolphin sold to a dolphinarium brings in a much higher profit than does a dead dolphin sold as meat, which brings in about $600. In Taiji, live bottlenose dolphins have been sold for as much as $300,000 each. The dolphin massacres in Japan will likely continue for as long as members of the international dolphin display industry reward the fishermen with thousands of dollars for animals that are deemed suitable for commercial exploitation in captivity.
Dolphinariums that work together with the Japanese dolphin killers are a major reason that the dolphin massacres are still going on, and organizations such as the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums or WAZA, endorse the hunts by allowing members into their orgs who source dolphins from the drives.

BUT ARE DOLPHINARIUMS NOT SAVING THE SELECTED DOLPHINS FROM SLAUGHTER?

Kim_Dol_Photo_LoRez_12-12Dolphinariums that purchase dolphins from the dolphin killers will tell you they are “saving” the dolphins from slaughter. We view this as nothing but propaganda aimed at concealing the fact that they are fueling the dolphin hunt by making it tremendously profitable.
Working side-by-side, dolphin trainers and fishermen force the dolphins into shallow water, haul the dolphins ashore and line them up. The trainers then inspect the dolphins one by one, choosing only the ones that can be used in dolphin shows and captive dolphin swim programs.
They are typically looking for young, unblemished dolphins. They “save” only the ones that can be commercially exploited in the display industry. The ones that are too old, too young, have the wrong gender or have too many blemishes are not worth “saving” to them, so they let the fishermen kill them.
We have seen dolphin trainers assist the fishermen in bringing the rejects to the killing cove to be killed. They don’t even bother to inspect the very young babies, knowing that they can’t be used in dolphin shows. Using ropes and physical force, dolphin trainers separate the babies from their mothers. They haul the mothers close to the rocky beach to measure and inspect them. The babies cry out, but they are doomed. The dolphin trainers are not going to help them.
If dolphin trainers and marine mammal parks were into “saving” dolphins, they would be there with a protest sign and video cameras, just like we are. Instead, they take advantage of the dolphin slaughter to beef up the huge profits made from captive dolphins. The grueling selection process drags on for several hours, and some dolphins die from either shock, injuries or exhaustion during this time. Some make frantic attempts at staying at the surface of the water, but their pectoral fins have been dislocated or broken.
An injured dolphin is worth nothing to the aquarium industry, and the dolphin trainers simply haul the dying dolphins back into the water and dump them, showing no emotion whatsoever.

IS IT TRUE THAT THE DOLPHIN TRAINERS ACTUALLY ASSIST IN KILLING DOLPHINS?

Yes. Several times, we have seen dolphin trainers and dolphin killers in the same boat, laughing and joking around after a large school of dolphins had just been killed. We have seen members of the international aquarium and zoo industry get in the water with the dolphin killers, tying ropes around the dolphins’ tail flukes so that the fishermen could tie the dolphins to their boats. Often times, the dolphins are so exhausted at this point, they can’t even stay afloat. Some have large amounts of blood coming out of their blowholes. The dolphin trainers don’t seem to care.
The fishermen haul the dolphins to the killing cove, with the dolphins’ blowholes underwater. Dolphin trainers have tormented the dolphins for hours. Some are in shock. Others are seriously injured, and they can’t breathe. Now, they are going to be killed and slaughtered. Not even pregnant females or young calves will be spared. But the dolphin trainers, who claim to “love” dolphins, don’t try to save any of them. It is the cruelest scene we have ever witnessed.

WHAT AQUARIUMS PURCHASE TAIJI DOLPHINS FOR CAPTIVITY?

A number of aquariums and swim-with-dolphins programs around the world purchase live dolphins caught in the bloody drive hunts of Taiji.  Japan alone has more than 50 dolphinariums and swim-with-dolphins programs, ranging from large aquarium facilities with huge tanks and dolphin shows to small tanks at motels or floating sea pens in harbors.
In the last ten years alone, dolphin exports from Taiji, Japan, have gone to China, Korea, Ukraine, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and the Philippines. US aquariums like SeaWorld claim they don’t import dolphins from Taiji.  NMFS examined the laws and agreed with our lawyers that imports from Taiji, Japan, were illegal because US law specifies that captures of marine mammals should be humane.  Prior to that ruling, imported Taiji dolphins and small cetaceans like false killer whales were regularly obtained by SeaWorld, the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Miami Seaquarium, and the US Navy. Dolphin brokers from the United States are often spotted in Taiji.

INTERACTIVE MAP OF CURRENT TAIJI DOLPHINS IN CAPTIVITY

Map Courtesy of Ceta-Base

WHAT’S WRONG WITH EATING DOLPHIN MEAT?

Cruelty issues set aside, dolphin meat from drive hunts in Taiji, Wakayama prefecture, proved to be highly contaminated with toxic chemicals such as mercury, methyl mercury and PCBs. Repeated chemical analyses have shown that the level of mercury in dolphin meat is much higher than the maximum allowable level set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan and the World Health Organization.
The contamination of dolphin meat by mercury in Japan has been documented time and time again, by both nongovernmental organizations and by Japanese scientists. There is worldwide concern that mercury accumulated in the human body poses a serious health risk, especially to pregnant women and children. The contaminated dolphin meat does not have a warning label.
Ric Whale Meat Tokyo 6-11(1)

WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD ARE DOLPHINS BEING SLAUGHTERED?

The horrendous dolphin drive hunts we see in Taiji have been repeated in the Faroe Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Solomon Islands. The Faroe Islanders hunt pilot whales annually and have so far resisted calls to end the slaughter, with the whale kill varying year to year from a few hundred to a thousand or more.  In Latin America and Indonesia, there are reports of dolphins being killed for meat and for bait for fish.
Dolphins and other whales and marine mammals are also killed for subsistence purposes in Greenland, Alaska and Siberia, although some of these hunts are controversial and certainly still cruel.  There are serious threats to dolphins around the world from entanglement in fishing nets and gear and from pollution problems. Japan and other nations should join in seeking ways to protect dolphins and other marine mammals, and work to clean up the oceans, rather than cling to unpopular, dying hunts that serve no nutritional purpose anymore.
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands

COWS ARE MISTREATED IN THE WEST, HOW CAN WE CRITICIZE THE DOLPHIN HUNT?

Good question. Cows, pigs and other domesticated animals are also being consumed in great numbers in Japan. If the meat of these animals was contaminated with mercury, the Japanese people and the Western world would stop eating it immediately. The inhumane treatment of domesticated animals in Western slaughterhouses presents yet another pressing animal welfare issue.
Our Campaign coordinates with a number of organizations that work on several animal welfare and environmental issues. Among them are the Korean dog trade, stopping the use of elephants in the circus industry and abolishing factory farming, just to name a few issues. But you cannot be effective if you work on all animal issues at the same time. Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project, therefore, focuses on one issue, which is that of stopping the largest slaughter of dolphins in the world. That is why we are making so much progress, through our focus.
There is another aspect to this question: Simply because animals are mistreated in the Western world, does that mean that a Westerner who cares about animal welfare should overlook animal welfare issues abroad? Of course not. If an animal welfare organization from Japan or any other country came to the United States to document and expose the cruelty that goes in our slaughterhouses, we would welcome them with open arms and help them achieve their goals. Animals don’t carry passports. They are not nationalistic, and our work to save them shouldn’t be, either.
There is of course a conservation element to our work as well. While none of the dolphin species being killed in Japan’s waters are currently endangered worldwide, local extinction of populations of these dolphins is quite possible, likely causing harm to the whole local ecosystem.
One might also simply say: Two wrongs don’t make a right.
What right do you as Westerners have to tell the Japanese what to do?
We usually receive this question from the fishermen who make a living hunting dolphins. Government officials in Japan are trying to turn the dolphin slaughter issue into one of cultural imperialism. But we are not telling the Japanese people what to do.
On the contrary, we are fighting for their constitutional right to know the facts about an issue that the fishermen and their government are systematically hiding from them. Most people in Japan have no idea that the dolphin slaughter is going on — just like they had no idea that the dolphin meat that was served to their children in school lunch programs was poisoned with mercury.
The fishermen once told us that the public has no right to know about it. We say the Japanese public has every right to know about it. We think the Japanese people are being exploited by the fishermen and their government in their self-serving quest to turn the dolphin drive hunt into an issue of “food culture” when, in realty, it’s about something entirely different: pest control and contaminated meat unfit for human consumption.
It is the fishermen and their government that are telling the Japanese people what to do and think. They are the ones who decide what the public can and cannot know about. Many Westerners wrongly blame an entire Japanese nation for something they know nothing about and are not guilty of. The Japanese people are entitled to at least know why the rest of the world is so upset with them. Article 21 of the Japanese Constitution guarantees them that right.
More importantly, they have a right to make up their own minds regarding their food culture, rather than have their government and some few fishermen dictate to them what their “culture” should be.

HOW IS THE DOLPHIN PROJECT CAMPAIGN RELATED TO THE COVE DOCUMENTARY?

‘The Cove’ won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2010. It has also won dozens of film festival awards. The Cove is an outstanding, historic documentary, and we encourage everyone to rent it, buy it, and see it.
‘The Cove’ features the story of Ric O’Barry,  Director of the Dolphin Project and his worldwide efforts to protect dolphins.
Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project did not make ‘The Cove’ movie — we just appeared in it! Therefore, we do not own the rights, and we receive no money from DVD sales.

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

There are lots of things that people can do to help end the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Go to our Take Action page on this website and take the steps outlined there. Ask your friends, your neighbors, your family, and your classmates to go there too so they can add their voices to yours.
If you are in school, you can consider screening ‘The Cove’ movie for your class or school. You can get your friends together to form a ‘Cove Club’. Donations to our cause are always welcome, even a little. Many people set up Cove House Parties to raise funds to help our efforts. Many volunteers have spent their own money or raised their own money to travel to Taiji to monitor the dolphin hunts, letting the fishermen and the Japanese government know that the world is watching.
Everybody can do something to help our effort. The only limitation is your imagination!