This season’s dolphin drive hunts in Taiji, Japan, continue. We now have reports from CetaBase via the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s Cove Guardians of numbers for the first two and three-quarters months (through November 23rd) of the killing season. Our thanks to these two organizations for keeping close track of the continuing dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan.
Dolphin Hunt 2015-16 Season So Far
Sept. 1st to Nov. 23rd, 2015
Total Dolphins Killed 215
Bottlenose Dolphins Killed 6
Risso’s Dolphins Killed 136
Striped Dolphins Killed 23
Pilot Whales Killed 50
Total Dolphins Released 65-69
Bottlenose Dolphins Released 33
Risso’s Dolphins Released 13
Pilot Whales Released 19-23
Total Dolphins Captured for Captivity 60
Bottlenose Dolphins Captive 55
Risso’s Dolphins Captive 4
Pilot Whales Captive 1
Both September and October were low kills and captures for the Taiji dolphin hunters, but so far November has seen much larger slaughters (which is not too unusual – the dolphin migration is usually low at the beginning of the hunt season).
The numbers so far suggests several important trends. One is that the dolphin drive hunts are turning more and more from dolphins slaughtered for meat to dolphins caught for captivity. Taiji has become a major source of captive dolphins for aquariums all over the world, and instead of just a handful of dolphins being sold, now Taiji is selling hundreds of dolphins each year. As a trained dolphin can be bought on the world market for as much as US$150,000 or more, the importance of the captivity trade to the Taiji dolphin hunters is obvious, with many countries (such as China & the Middle East) building new aquariums.
During the 2010-11 Season, for example, only 6 dolphins were captured for captivity in the first two months of the season, while 109 dolphins were slaughtered for meat. (Species killed were mostly bottlenose and Risso’s dolphins, but some striped and false killer whale dolphins were also killed.) 24 bottlenose dolphins were released along with 4 Risso’s dolphins. Quite a few more dolphins were caught in the first two weeks of November, but information is lacking on the total numbers and their fates.
Last season (2014-15), during the first two and three quarters months (Sept. 1st through Nov. 23rd) of the season, only Risso’s dolphins were caught in Taiji, except for a pod of pilot whales and a pod of bottlenose dolphins, for a total of 198 dolphins slaughtered, and only 11 dolphins were kept for captivity (5 bottlenose dolphins, four Risso’s dolphins and two pilot whales). So, the hunters are slightly ahead at this time from last season in dolphins slaughtered.
The catch of a large pod of bottlenose dolphins (estimated more than 80) on September 8th helped the Taiji hunters replenish their captives for the coming year (50 were kept; 30 were released). These captive dolphins are to be tamed and semi-trained before being shipped out. Many aquariums in Japan buy Taiji dolphins, but this season is the first where the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) has told their member organizations not to purchase any dolphins from the Taiji drive hunts, due to a successful campaign by Earth Island’s IMMP and other environmental groups to pressure the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums to crack down on JAZA. However, there are many swim-with-dolphins programs and small aquariums in Japan that are not members of JAZA, and Taiji also exports dolphins to aquariums in China, Russia and the Middle East.
Last season (2014-15), only 108 total bottlenose dolphins were chased into the Cove in total during the entire season. Taiji’s quota for bottlenose that season was 509. This season’s quota is down to 462. Also last season, Taiji had quotas for Pacific white-sided dolphins (but only caught 6) and false killer whales (but none were caught during the entire season). Risso’s dolphins made up a large part of last season’s catch with the hunters going over quota, and Risso’s are making a large part of this season’s catch so far.
These different catch levels of different species may simply be seasonal variations, but there is reason to be concerned that the hunts targeting these species relentlessly, with high quotas that are virtually never met, are depleting some of these species to the point where they are disappearing from Japanese waters. This would be of particular concern for the bottlenose dolphin species, as it is by far the most popular species to hold in aquariums. (Most other dolphin species are quite difficult to keep in captivity for any length of time.)
It is highly unlikely that the released dolphins fare well in the ocean. They have been chased and kept in captivity for hours, they may have suffered injuries in the process and certainly went without any food, and they lost their pod mates to the slaughter or the captive trade. A pod is not just a random collection of dolphins, but is largely built on dolphin families with close relations. We know that dolphins exhibit signs of grieving for sick or dead animals in the pod. What must it be like for these traumatized animals to suddenly be released and herded back into the ocean? Sea Shepherd has reported several times seeing stranded dolphins that likely died after they were released by the Taiji hunters. These dead dolphins, needless to say, are never counted against the hunter’s annual quota set by the Japan Fisheries Agency.
The releases of dolphins, especially dolphins other than bottlenose, are based on the quota system. The quota is by individual, so smaller and juvenile Risso’s dolphins and pilot whales are released in order to avoid filling the quota with smaller animals that don’t have as much meat on them.
The release of bottlenose dolphins in the first part of the season is a scheme by JAZA to try to separate the dolphin slaughter from the captivity angle, but it doesn’t really work – the same people are involved and will kill any other species they find.
There are now three and a quarter more months to go for Taiji’s annual slaughter season. Each day can mean the deaths or permanent incarceration of dozens of dolphins and small whales. These hunts must not be allowed to continue.
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