Dolphin Hunting Season Resumes In Japan
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 7th, 2014
Good morning!
All day Sunday I was out on the beautiful San Francisco Bay boating with good friends. It was a stellar hot day, no wind, and clear blue skies. We saw seals swimming which we expected. That was thrilling enough. But when we were blessed with wonderful glimpses of Dolphins too it was simply spectacular. And each time one of us spotted a dolphin, we would point our finger in glee and shout “Look! There’s another one!” so that all of us could enjoy the wondrous sight. A rare day on the Bay – absolutely perfect - super special and magical.
I came home that night thinking about those Dolphins and how free and beautiful they were, only to be reminded that in my queue I had a horrific write waiting to be posted. Every year Dolphins are hunted and killed in Japan, and every year I post something that speaks of the cruelty. I so look forward to the day when this cruel and barbaric practice has come to an end. But until it does, I will be posting in support of these beautiful creatures that grace our planet and are subjected to such atrocities from humans.
From CNN.
Dolphins killed as Taiji’s controversial hunting season resumes in Japan
Tokyo (CNN) – The slaughter of dolphins has begun again in a small Japanese village, in a controversial annual hunt that pits Western environmentalist values against what locals say are traditional hunting practices.
Taiji, a coastal town of 3,500 people in the Japanese prefecture of Wakayama, has a dolphin hunting season from September to March every year.
Local fishermen are permitted by the Wakayama prefectural government to hunt an annual quota of nearly 2,000 dolphins and porpoises from seven different species, in accordance with what the government says is traditional practice.
Most of the dolphins are killed for their meat, but many are sold live to aquariums around the world.
‘Eerie’ killing cove
In recent years, the Taiji dophin hunt has become a focal point for activists, particularly since the release of the Academy Award-winning 2009 film The Cove, which documented the hunt and raised awareness of Taiji’s dolphin hunting industry internationally.
Conservationist group Sea Shepherd has had a presence in Taiji during hunt season for the past five years, broadcasting tfrom the village via a livefeed, and mobilizing a social media campaign against the hunt.
The campaign has drawn celebrity and other high-profile supporters, with comedian Ricky Gervais and U.S. ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy tweeting their support in recent years, and former Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed actress Shannen Doherty visiting Taiji last week to witness the hunt.
“It’s eerie,” Doherty said in a statement. “You wonder how they (the hunters) are able to go to bed at night… I think being here rocks even the most hardened human being, because it is just atrocious.”
Melissa Sehgal, Sea Shepherd’s campaign co-ordinator for the Taiji project, which it calls “Operation Infinite Patience,” said that after 15 days without the capture or killing of dolphins, the fishermen had begun killing pods of Risso’s dolphins last week.
Four dolphin pods had been driven into the cove for killing so far this year, the group said.
“These dolphins are a gentle and docile species, but they continued to fight and struggle to stay alive,” Sehgal told CNN.
Japan officials defend dolphin hunting at Taiji Cove
Locals defend practice
The Wakayama prefectural government declined CNN’s request for an interview, referring instead to a statement on its website outlining its position on the issue.
It said that residents viewed dolphins and whales as a legitimate marine resource, and that the hunt, a local tradition, was integral to the town’s economic survival.
“Located far away from the centers of economic activity, the town has a 400-year history as the cradle of whaling, and has flourished over the years thanks to whaling and the dolphin fishery,” the statement said.
“The dolphin fishery is still an indispensable industry for the local residents to make their living.”
‘Barbaric’ technique
Sea Shepherd is particularly opposed to the method used to herd and capture the dolphins, a technique known as “drive hunting” which Sehgal described as “barbaric.”
“Using metal banger poles to create a wall of sound to disorient and deafen the pod… forces them to swim away from the boats and into the shallows of the killing cove,” she said.
“Once netted into the cove, the dolphins are literally wrangled and tethered, often sustaining bloody wounds… The dolphin hunters use large metal rods to penetrate the spinal cord. This is hammered into the dolphins and small whales. The dolphins do not die immediately, but are left to either bleed out from internal injuries or drown in their own blood.”
The Taiji fishermen’s union has previously told CNN that the spine-severing technique had been introduced as a more humane method of killing the dolphins.
Opinion: How hunters slaughter dolphins in Japan
Fishermen harassed?
Sea Shepherd’s operations in Taiji involve live-streaming activity in the village, including following suspected fishermen they believe to be transporting dolphin meat. A recent live-stream showed men retreating into garages when the Sea Shepherd crew approached.
This activism from foreign conservationists is interpreted by some locals as harassment.
“The Taiji dolphin fishery has been a target of repeated psychological harassment and interference by aggressive foreign animal protection organizations,” reads the Wakayama government’s statement.
“Taiji dolphin fishermen are just conducting a legal fishing activity in their traditional way in full accordance with regulations and rules under the supervision of both the national and the prefectural governments. . . Such criticisms are an unfair threat to the fishermen’s rights to make a living and offend the history and pride of the town.”
The statement also likens the killing of the dolphins to the killing of cows and pigs for food, implying hypocrisy on the part of activists for their criticism of the dolphin hunt.
“Not only dolphins but also other animals including livestock such as cows and pigs display emotion and intelligence,” it read. “We, however, cannot help killing livestock to eat their meat. Do people criticize these activities as barbaric?”
‘Terrorized’ dolphins
But activists say any comparison between the killing of wild dolphins and domesticated livestock is spurious.
“They’re terrorized for hours on end,” says Ric O’Barry, a former dolphin trainer who trained the animals used in the popular U.S. show Flipper, before undergoing a sea-change in his views about holding dolphins in captivity.
He has campaigned against the live dolphin trade with his organization The Dolphin Project, and also featured in The Cove.
“They’re self-aware like humans and the great apes. They look in the mirror and they know what they’re looking at. They’re not domesticated animals,” he told CNN.
Besides, he said, while many of the dolphins were killed and sold for meat, the most attractive specimens were rounded up during the drive hunting were taken alive and sold to aquariums for sums in excess of $100,000 an animal. These captures were the real “economic underpinning” of the annual hunt, he said.
“You’d get $400-500 for a dead dolphin’s meat, but there’s a lot of money for a live one, and that’s what keeps this thing going,” he said.
Group: 250 dolphins await slaughter, lifetime of captivity at Japan’s Taiji Cove
Live dolphin trade
Sehgal said that local dolphin trainers who “claim to love dolphins” were often seen assisting hunters in wrangling the animals to shore.
“Only the young, beautiful and more suitable are selected. These dolphins are then forced to witness their families brutally slaughtered in front of them,” she said.
According to Sea Shepherd estimates, 850 dolphins were killed and 160 taken into captivity last season, 920 killed and 249 caught the previous season, and 820 killed and 54 caught the season before that.
Conservationists argue that it is this lucrative trade in captive dolphins that is the real motivation for the hunting season, a practice they say has only existed since the late 1960s.
“The argument that it is (an older) tradition is simply untrue,” said Lisa Agabian, Sea Shepherd’s director of media relations.
“Even if it were, I can say with absolute certainty that at no time would ancient fisherman have gone out with motorized fishing vessels and skiffs and modern technology to aid them in their capture of dolphins. The way they are hunting now, the dolphins don’t have a fighting chance. That is certainly not traditional culture at work.”
Said Sehgal: “This is blood money . . . (there’s) nothing cultural about kidnapping wild dolphins for profit.”
But Japanese defenders of the hunt maintain that the hunting of dolphins and whales has been a traditional industry and economic lifeline since the 17th century.
An official at the Taiji town office told CNN it was natural that hunting techniques had evolved with new technologies.
Staff at Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Institute of Cetacean Research said they were not available for comment.
*****
Readers: This is tragic..truly horrific…my heart is heavy. I wish I knew what to do to stop it but I have no answers. Do you? Blog me.
Peace & love…
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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October 7th, 2014 at 9:50 am
Howie, could this be another reason why hurricanes keep heading towards Japan?
October 7th, 2014 at 9:51 am
Michelle were you wearing a bathing suit? I didn’t see you. I was just dreaming.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:40 am
Can you order dolphin meat in Topeka?
October 7th, 2014 at 10:42 am
We just kill because we can.
October 7th, 2014 at 12:10 pm
People never cease to amaze me … (and often not in good ways) … that’s just so cruel …
Alycedale, I think it was 2 things: #1 he was giving himself the white man privilege ‘out’ and #2. trying to articulate that since he’s not a woman he cannot truly understand no matter how hard he tries (& he still has #1 to fall back on).
Luv, Zen Lill
October 7th, 2014 at 12:41 pm
I cringe every year when this time comes around and I see the pictures. Norway is another country right up there murdering and slaughtering these magnificent beings. It totally turns my stomach and hurts my heart. :( Sometimes, I hate people and what they do.
/SB
October 7th, 2014 at 12:41 pm
# 15 Scott / October 7th, 2014 at 6:22 am
You nailed it.
/SB
October 8th, 2014 at 6:42 am
Social Butterfly#6, I feel the same way.
October 8th, 2014 at 8:31 am
People it is getting crazy on Guam everyone and their mother is getting their identity stolen.
====================
Have you fallen victim to identity theft? According to the Department of Rev & Tax it appears to be a growing epidemic on Guam as over 300 cases have been reported these past few months – with dozens just today.
Deputy Director Marie Benito says at this rate, it’s becoming a serious concern for the department.
“We’re aware of the identity theft ongoing right now and the growing epidemic of this ID theft,” she said.
She says the reports of identity theft started late last year and didn’t raise any major concern considering they were sporadic, but in the past 10 months it’s grown even worse.
“And what happens is the tax payer would come here and notify us that they got a notice and their checks were levied or their accounts were levied and that payment went directly to IRS and they don’t owe IRS, they don’t file with the IRS,” she said.
A levy is a legal seizure of your property to satisfy a tax debt. KUAM has learned that some have reported having their accounts zeroed out to some getting notices that they owe money from tens to even one hundred thousand dollars to the IRS in areas throughout the US these Guam taxpayers have never even been before.
Benito says over 300 cases have been reported this year and according to the income tax assistance and processing branch up to 30 just today. So who exactly is being targeted?
“Everyone on Guam,” she said. “There’s no special category or military or locals, it’s everyone the island and in fact some (Rev and Tax) staff have been on that list.”
Benito says the department is working with the taxpayer advocate in Hawaii along with the IRS.
“So what I did was reached out to the IRS criminal investigation and they’ve assured me that this is their top priority right now and they have fulltime special agents working in these cases,” she said.
People who have received a notice of levy or believe they have fallen victim to this “epidemic” of identity theft are advised to report it immediately to the income tax assistance and processing branch. From there, Rev & Tax will help you obtain a certification of filing and package all your documents and information- free of charge.
“It’s a service we want to give to our people, our taxpayers because they’re already going through the stress, can you imagine having your check levied and not knowing about it before hand,” she said.
According to IRS.gov, if they do levy your bank account, your bank must hold funds you have on deposit, up to the amount you owe, for 21 days. This holding period allows time to resolve any issues about account ownership.
If you paid bank charges because of a mistake the IRS made when your account was levied, you may be entitled to a reimbursement however you have 30 days to appeal the determination. You can call DRT at 635-1840 or 1841 for more information.
We should add Attorney General Leondardo Rapadas last month established the Identity Theft Task Force of Guam.
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People you have to check every bill as soon as you get it or you will be liable for the mischief and loss you incur because of these thieves.
Hafa Adai
Lill
October 8th, 2014 at 8:34 am
Why humans behave so barbarically is just baffling to me. But I agree with you Zen Lill and Social Butterfly, it is cruel and disturbing.
What can we do?
October 8th, 2014 at 8:35 am
Guam is joining modern criminal investigation.
———————-
$5M USDA Loan Announced
Guam – Improvements are coming to the Guam Police Department’s Crime Lab and with them, a DNA laboratory.
The expansion is made possible though a $5 Million loan from the US Department of Agriculture, which was announced today. It’s also funded with money from the Department of the Interior and other sources.
The renovation and expansion of Guam Community College’s building 100 is included in the project to house the Criminal Justice Program and Cosmetology classes. GCC President Dr Mary Okada says the improvements will enhance the college’s programs and are inline with GCC’s focus on sustainability.
Speaker Judi Won Pat authored the legislation that made the USDA loan possible.
======================
Let’s hope we can solve some fucking crimes now.
October 8th, 2014 at 8:45 am
“Credit Mules” Lined Up for Latest Phone Scam
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cash-strapped people, including students, other financially disadvantaged and homeless people, are falling victim to a new cell phone scam known as credit muling.
A few weeks back, we wrote about how students were being lured into selling their debit or credit cards to crooks and then reporting them as stolen so they don’t get lumbered with the bill when the cards are used for fraud.
http://www.scambusters.org/studentscam.html
The latest variation uses cell phones as the fraudulent cash generator.
It works because many mobile service providers offer cell phones at substantial discounts to their normal retail price when a customer signs up for a two-year contract.
Victims are paid by the scammers to sign up for several contracts at different stores.
In some cases, the fraudsters will actually drive their victims around to phone stores to sign several contracts.
The crooks, also known as “recruiters,” give them the money to pay for the discounted phones, plus a commission payment for themselves, usually around $100 total, when they hand over the phones.
Victims are told they can cancel the contract within 30 days, which they often can.
But there’s one big drawback: The phone contract can only be cancelled if the customer returns the phone, which, of course, they no longer have.
The end result is that, instead of making a few dollars by taking part in the illicit deal, victims are lumbered with the full replacement cost of the phone plus a handful of two- or three-year phone subscription contracts for which they could find themselves paying several hundred dollars every month.
In most cases, the victims simply cannot pay, which can leave them on the receiving end of debt collection services and a negative listing on their credit records that can take years to clear, if ever.
And of course, because the real crooks used the victims as go-betweens — “mules” in criminal lingo — there’s no way for law enforcement to track them down.
What happens to the phones?
The crooks “unlock” them, which means removing the codes that tie them to individual cell phone service providers and then sell them for much more than their victims paid.
“Unlocked” phones can be worth quite a bit more than “locked” ones because they can be used on just about any service.
And, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), they can even fetch thousands of dollars when sold abroad.
Action: This trick is easy to avoid. There’s no legitimate reason why anyone would want to pay you to take out multiple phone contracts, or even a single contract in your name and then to hand over the phone to them.
So, simply refuse any such “opportunity” that comes your way.
Also, be warned that taking part in this scam could land you in legal as well as financial trouble.
If there’s any suggestion that you knowingly took part in a fraud, you could face criminal charges.
If you are approached by someone who offers you money to take out a wireless phone contract or if you have fallen victim, the FTC wants you to complete an online complaints form to help protect others.
Start here: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt&panel1-1
It’s so sad that the people who can least afford to be duped are often the crooks’ favorite target.
A Colorado TV station that first raised the alert on this scam reported one 19-year-old victim as saying: “I thought it was amazing money. I had rent due the next day and I was looking to pay it. I was very desperate.”
The young women said she was “in the hole for about $6,000,” while another victim found he owed phone companies around $2,000.
Always be wary if someone offers you what seems to be an easy way to make money. They could be lining you up as a credit mule for a phone scam or other fraud.
Alert of the Week: Is your email address — and perhaps other personal details — among the 500 million reported to have been stolen earlier this year by Russian hackers? And what should you do if it is?
Well, the bad news, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is that it’s virtually impossible to know if you’re a victim, so you should change your password on any account that contains any important financial or health information.
And if the account has the potential for extra security through what is known as “two factor authentication” (basically a password plus another code), you should use it.
Learn more about this hack and what you can do about it from the DHS OnGuardOnline website at: http://www.onguardonline.gov/blog/russian-hackers-might-have-your-info-now-what?utm_source=govdelivery
October 9th, 2014 at 12:38 pm
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