Guest Author - Wendy Amato

Despite international outrage, the 2005-2006 Taiji dolphin slaughter has begun in Japan. Thousands of dolphins (or, some argue, porpoises) are expected to be killed secretly, under cover of tarps, in Taiji Bay in Southern Japan this winter. Much of the dolphin meat is expected to be labeled “whale meat” for sale in local food markets. Consuming whale meat is considered acceptable in Japan, as many older people grew up eating whale in school lunches. In fact, Japan is fighting international policy in an attempt to increase its whaling industry. Some cite the dolphin slaughter as “pest control” because dolphins supposedly are interfering with the commercial fishing industry. Others argue that Japan has a cultural right to eat dolphin and whale and that foreigners should mind their own business.

Some groups and scientists have expressed concern about the mercury levels of whale and dolphin meat, as high mercury ingestion can cause poisoning, also known as Minimata disease. Despite urban legend, mercury cannot be cooked out of seafood. There is a Catch-22 here, though, as warning people of mercury ingestion would shed light on the gruesome dolphin-meat market.

While international conservation groups organize protests outside Japanese Embassies around the world, the Japanese people largely remain unaware of this situation. Japanese journalists do not cover such horrors, and people here do not speak of such things to one another. Indeed, to forward a website to a friend which contains such grievous images would be unforgivably rude. So, public-awareness campaigns struggle to get the information out to Japanese consumers.

To learn more, visit the Sea Shepherd website. WARNING: This site contains graphic and extremely disturbing images!