Relief, Sadness as Taiji’s Drive Hunts End for Season

Taiji’s dolphin drive hunts for the 2024-25 season may have ended, but the damage to wild pods will linger for a significant amount of time.

Dolphin Project Cove Monitors Alex and Cynthia were on the ground for a portion of the hunting season, gathering information to both support our legal initiatives against the hunts, as well as report on the goings-on taking place at the the Cove – site of the Academy Award-winning documentary of the same name. At the time of this writing, official statistics including total numbers and species of dolphins slaughtered and taken for captivity were unavailable, but once they are released we will share onto our social media, and update this blog.

Rough-toothed dolphin pod driven into the Cove and then released, Taiji, Japan. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Research conducted on wild dolphin pods

Says Cynthia: “I observed three drives that appeared to be for research this season where dolphins were driven into the Cove, yellow tags were attached to their bodies, and then the dolphins were released. These species included: Risso’s dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, and rough-toothed dolphins. Despite these pods not being slaughtered or taken for captivity, the process itself of chasing, capturing and pulling the mammals underneath the tarps is an extremely stressful and grueling experience.”

She continues: “In April 2024, the town of Taiji opened an $11.5 million (USD) International Cetacean Center, with a stated aim of turning the town into a research hub. The building houses the Taiji Office of the Institute of Cetacean Research. While the hope is that the center will draw researchers from around the world, the building was nearly empty when I visited. Of particular concern is the following statement from an article that appeared in JAPAN Forward, a Japanese news website: ‘…the institute has been conducting nutritional analyses of whale meat to help bolster its consumption. Additionally, the ICR is exploring using unmanned aerial vehicles developed by the institute to locate whale and dolphin pods more efficiently.’”

Striped dolphins panic in nets before being slaughtered, Taiji, Japan. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Far fewer dolphins slaughtered

Based on the estimated number of dolphins slaughtered, as compiled by our Cove Monitors during their time in Taiji, as well as local and other Japanese activists, it would appear that far fewer mammals were killed this season than in years past. Numbers were low last season but seem to have declined even further. Are fewer wild dolphin pods swimming by the coast of Taiji, less fish available for the dolphins to forage, climate change? There is no way of telling for certain why these numbers are down.

Says Cynthia: “A local resident I spoke with suggested that the hunters are worried about the effects of global warming on the plankton population. Warmer water temperatures can affect the amounts of plankton in an area. Plankton is the base of the ocean’s food webs, so if it declines, the fish the dolphins are hunting will decline as well. The dolphins may be adapting by moving to more food rich areas, but this is only speculation.”

For years, Dolphin Project has refuted the hunters’ claims that the hunts are humane. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dolphins are routinely seen caught in the nets, bleeding from injuries, and left to suffer for lengthy amounts of time. Some get trapped and drown, and all are desperate to escape.

Bottlenose dolphin wrestled under tarps during captive selection, Taiji, Japan. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Higher number of dolphins taken captive

While the number of dolphins taken captive decreased over the last three years, unfortunately, these numbers increased this season, especially for bottlenose dolphins, one of the most popular dolphins used in aquariums and marine parks around the world. In addition this season, more dolphins were transferred out of Taiji’s sea pens to destinations unknown.

While the solution seems simplistic, not buying a ticket to a dolphin show could quite likely result in less demand. Less demand for performing dolphins = less demand for wild-caught dolphins.

“For all the dolphins who have suffered in the Cove this hunting season and for those taken into captivity, I can only hope that our continued efforts to raise awareness reach more people and inspire those who were once unaware to stand against it – by choosing not to support dolphin shows or captivity.” ~ Alex, Dolphin Project Cove Monitor

Japanese activists oppose the dolphin drive hunts, Taiji, Japan. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Cove Monitors Cynthia and Alex were witness to the brutality that took place in the Cove during the dolphin drive hunts, Taiji, Japan. Credit: DolphinProject.com

What Dolphin Project is doing to help

Over the past few years, Dolphin Project has worked with a growing network of independent Japanese citizens, including Japanese NGO Life Investigation Agency (LIA). Together with LIA, we have focused on preparing and sorting through a myriad of documentation, and currently have several cases regarding the defense of dolphins in litigation in Japanese courts.

To-date, Dolphin Project and LIA have won all lawsuits we filed against the dolphin hunting and captivity industry. We believe that shifting our campaign focus to lawsuits, legal actions and education within Japan will have a greater chance to not only expose aspects of the hunts that were previously inaccessible, but also to end the hunts as a whole.

Dolphin Project would like to thank all those who stood beside us, in person and virtually, and shared information about the dolphin hunts taking place annually in Taiji. Education = empowerment. Together, let’s stand on the right side of history and say NO to dolphin captivity.

Read more about our campaign in Taiji, Japan.

Legal actions take a great deal of time and resources. Please consider making a donation in support of our efforts to end the dolphin hunts.

Featured image: Bottlenose dolphin transferred to an unknown destination, Taiji, Japan. Credit: DolphinProject.com