Usually, the practice of fishing is done as part of a picnic with family or as a hobby. However, in this Japanese town, the fishermen are permitted to brutally kill fish like dolphins, just for sport. It is done during the dolphin hunting season.
This cruel game of death is played in Taiji a town in Japan, painting the sea a grotesque hue of red. According to the reports by the Daily Star, thousands of dolphins are slaughtered mercilessly or sent to marine parks around the country for captivity. The festival started earlier this month in Taiji, as the government provides permits for participation for the next 6 months.
As per more reports, the festival is approved by the Japanese Fisheries Agency, where the fishermen are allowed to either kill or capture these animals. Around 16,000 dolphins become a part of this inhuman festival and that too every year.
A US-based charity called the Dolphin Project reports that some days, the fishermen can get 100 dolphins in a day. The practice has been going on for so long that they have discovered these sea mammals’ migration part, which makes it easier and convenient for them to hunt. They utilize vibrations or sounds to shock the dolphins, forcing them to move towards the shallow waters.
A representative from the Dolphin Project slammed the practice, explaining how this tactic worked. He said, “When a pod is located, the fishermen position their boats one behind the other, perfectly evenly spaced. They lower several stainless steel poles into the water, one on each side of each boat.” These poles are then spread out underwater, amplifying the sound caused by the repeated hammering on them. This noise creates a kind of invisible wall or trap of sound underwater, confining the dolphins between this wall and the shoreline.
So, to get away from this sound, the dolphins swim towards the shore, driving them to a cove, close to Taiji harbour. It can take hours, making the mammals exhausted. They are then killed with a sharp metal spike.
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