I just got this information from the Oceanic Preservation Society, the organization behind the documentary The Cove about the dolphin killings in Taiji:
Fishermen in Taiji, Japan will be releasing captured dolphins this week in response to international outcry following the award-winning film “The Cove.” Some of the dolphins captured during the annual round up will be sold to aquariums, and while the rest are typically slaughtered in secret, the fishermen will be releasing them because of recent criticism....An anonymous Taiji fisheries official said that it’s not clear whether the town will stop killing dolphins permanently. Taiji residents see the dolphin hunt as a tradition that is no different than killing other animals for food. However, the dolphins that are killed and sold as food, often as mislabeled whale meat, contain toxic levels of mercury and are potentially poisoning Japanese consumers.
...The fishermen in Taiji captured about 100 bottlenose dolphins and 50 pilot whales on Wednesday, with plans to sell some of their catch to aquariums for up to $150,000 per animal.
The Taiji government hasn't confirmed yet whether the killings will be halted permanently, but the fact that they're on hold means that they're listening.
Related stories:
The Cove, an upcoming documentary about dolphins in Taiji
Dolphin slaughter: horrible injustice, or just another meal?
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=12414
...I guess that late news is better than no news at all.
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=12533
Except of course for the fact that the news is a week out of date. And completely wrong.
And here I thought that your unwillingness to respond to the problems with your newspaper article was just an isolated incident of complete and total incompetence.
Posted by: Thom | September 10, 2009 at 02:05 PM
Thom, this is from a press release that came out today. Also, take your foul attitude elsewhere. If you think I'm incompetent, why waste your time visiting my site?
Posted by: Lisa | September 10, 2009 at 02:10 PM
Great news! Thanks for posting this.
to Thom: this post is accurate and timely. The slaughter had stopped previously, begun again, and now it's been stopped a second time.
Keep spreading the word about The Cove and the dolphins!
more info on the movie and how to help: http://thecovemovie.com/
Posted by: Lukem | September 11, 2009 at 10:18 AM
It is a sensitive program. Dolphins in Sea World and the like would be having very tough time, although we enjoy them.
The difference between dolphins and tunas is very slight. Tuna (used as Toro) at a sushi bar is getting popular world wide, they cannot be farmed easily. I heard that the number of tuna is getting small due to the world-wide consumption.
A big difference is that dolphins and whales are mammal and smart. Humans eat mammal such as veal and lamb, but they can be farmed.
Posted by: Naoki Chiba | September 12, 2009 at 02:32 PM