Japanese Police Investigate Mercury Pollution in Taiji Dolphin Meat

By Mark J. Palmer

The police of Wakayama Prefecture in Japan (which includes the dolphin-slaughter town of Taiji) have begun an investigation into whether the sale of dolphin and whale meat contaminated with dangerously high levels of mercury constitutes a violation of Japan’s Food Sanitation Law.

The nonprofit organization Action for Dolphins (AFD) submitted a legal petition to the police, that included test results for mercury in Risso’s dolphin, melon-headed whale, and pilot whale meat sold in markets. AFD found that mercury levels in the dolphin and whale meat exceeded health standards set by the Japanese government by 2.5 to 25 times.

AFD had previously, in partnership with the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute, successfully sued the Taiji Whale Museum for refusing to allow non-Japanese to enter the museum, a clear violation of the Japanese constitution. The legal petition was prepared by the law firm of Takashi Takano that also handled the Taiji Whale Museum litigation.

Mercury is a global pollutant poisoning oceans from the burning of coal. China and other countries have many coal-fired power plants, polluting large areas of the Earth. The mercury accumulates in the food chain, resulting in very high levels in dolphins and whales that eat toxic fish and squid.

IMMP pioneered the testing of dolphin meat in Taiji back in 2007, and our results were featured in the Oscar-winning documentary, The Cove, released in 2009. The Cove was made by the Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS) and directed by Louie Psihoyos. The Cove depicts IMMP’s work in bringing the dolphin slaughter to the attention of the world, despite efforts by the Japanese government to hide the slaughter. Thanks to IMMP publicizing the dangers of mercury-contaminated dolphin meat, the Taiji slaughter of dolphins has declined by 60%.

Other environmental organizations, such as the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), had conducted testing of cetacean meat in Japan even earlier in the 2000s.

In 2010, in response to The Cove, the Japanese government carried out a study of mercury in the people of Taiji. The government tested the hair of Taiji residents, which is not the best measure for finding mercury levels in people. (A more accurate method is to test urine samples.) The government study found that mercury in Taiji hair samples was generally 11 parts per million, although 43 residents tested at 50 parts per million or higher. Most Japanese in other towns, who don’t eat dolphin or whale meat, but do consume fish and shellfish, test at 2.1 parts per million.

The US Environmental Protection Agency recommends no more than 1.2 parts per million for mercury in hair samples. Some researchers believe levels higher than 0.3 parts per million pose health risks to humans.

However, the Japanese government’s study concluded that Taiji residents with high levels of mercury showed no adverse effects, cavalierly dismissing concerns of mercury contamination. Critics in Japan claimed the government did not use proper testing protocols to determine if the mercury was causing brain damage.

We suspect a cover-up by the Japanese government, as they have been known to do in other pollution incidents, in order to promote the politically powerful fishing industry.

Mercury among the most toxic element known on Earth. It attacks and destroys nerves in the body, and is especially dangerous for fetuses. Yet, Japanese health authorities have been silenced by their own government.

The next steps will likely involve testing of dolphin and whale meat from Taiji by the Wakayama police in response to the legal petition.

The dolphin hunters get most of their revenue from the sale of live dolphins to aquariums around the world, especially in Japan and China. There are viable alternatives to killing and capturing of dolphins and whales for the Taiji hunters, such as eco-tourism and sustainable fishing – the government claims that dolphins are eating all the fish, instead of putting the blame on unsustainable fishing practices!

It is long past time that the Japanese government shut down the dolphin slaughter and captures for a life of misery in captivity. IMMP holds out hope for the latest effort by AFD and the Tanaka Law Firm, as we continue to push for an end to the hunts.

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