Quick Links
Coalition Team to Bear Witness in Taiji and Futo
(Tokyo, Oct. 20, 2005) An international consortium of environmental organizations, fighting to end the world’s largest dolphin slaughter, today announced their ongoing dedication to bringing the horror and shame of the Japan dolphin killing to the world’s attention.
Once again, Ric O’Barry, former trainer of TV star Flipper and marine mammal specialist for One Voice, a leading French animal welfare organization, and his coalition team will return shortly to the fishing village of Taiji, where the dolphin slaughter takes place annually.
“Our team is here to bear witness to the tragedy of the largest deliberate dolphin slaughter in the world," Helene O'Barry, field correspondent for the Save Japan Dolphins coalition stated. “We will be in Taiji and Futo documenting the slaughter, and we will not relent in our outreach and media efforts until this cruel practice is finally abolished.”
The campaign to stop the dolphin slaughter is a joint project of the Elsa Nature Conservancy of Japan, the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute based in San Francisco, In Defense of Animals, and the Animal Welfare Institute.
“We know the international aquarium industry is secretly subsidizing the violent slaughter of thousands of dolphins in Taiji and Futo,” stated David Phillips, Director of the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute. “They are trafficking internationally in a few dolphins for the captive trade; the rest are ruthlessly slaughtered.”
“On October 8th, demonstrations were held in thirty countries demanding an end to the Japan dolphin slaughter,” David Phillips added. “The Japan dolphin slaughter will no longer remain a shameful secret.”
“Fishermen herd dolphin schools into shallow waters of Taiji, where around two thousand are annually slaughtered for meat,” adds Sakae Hemmi, spokesperson for Elsa Nature Conservancy. “The aquarium industry subsidizes the slaughter by offering thousands of dollars to buy a few prime specimens of dolphins from the shallow waters of the blood-filled slaughter pools. Without these enormous prices for prime specimens, it will be quite difficult for the drive fishery to survive, for dolphin meat is much contaminated with mercury.”
Studies have shown that some dolphins caught in the fishery of Japan and sold in the marketplace have very high levels of pollutants, including mercury, exceeding Japanese health standards. Yet the Japan Fisheries Agency does nothing to stop the dolphin hunt nor give enough warning to Japanese consumers about the dangers of eating dolphin meat. The Japan Fisheries Agency admits that dolphin meat is contaminated with mercury, but only gives limited advice on how to eat it. For example, the official standard for the amount of intake of the bottlenose dolphin is 80 grams once every two months (e.g. no more than 10 g per week) – however, this advice is limited to women who are pregnant or possibly pregnant.
David Phillips stated: “The public, including the people of Japan, would be outraged if they knew the truth – that thousands of innocent dolphins die a horrible death so that a few can be shown doing tricks in aquariums. Our organizations are here for the long haul – we will not leave until the dolphin slaughter ends for good.”
Added Ric O’Barry: “The drive fishery and the slaughter must be stopped, and the aquarium industry should be ashamed of sponsoring the killing of thousands of dolphins annually. We know that the people of Japan, if they knew the truth, would be heart-broken at the plight of these intelligent animals.”
MEDIA ALERT: VIDEO FOOTAGE and PHOTOS of the dolphin drive fisheries of Japan is available from Earth Island Institute by calling (415) 788-3666 or faxing (415) 788-7324, or from Sakae Hemmi, Elsa Nature Conservancy of Japan (81)-298511637.
For further information, visit:
Elsa Nature Conservancy - Japan
Earth Island Institute - USA
One Voice - France
Contacts:
Richard O’Barry, One Voice France
(81) 298511637 (Japan)
Sakae Hemmi, Elsa Nature Conservancy of Japan
(81)-298511637 (Japan)
David Phillips, Earth Island
(415) 788-3666 x145 (USA)