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{{Short description|Method of hunting dolphins}}
'''Dolphin drive hunting''', also called '''dolphin drive fishing''', is a method of ] ]s and occasionally other small ]s by driving them together with boats and then usually into a bay or onto a beach. Their escape is prevented by closing off the route to the open sea or ocean with boats and nets. Dolphins are hunted this way in several places around the world, including the ], the ], ], and ], the most well-known practitioner of this method. By numbers, dolphins are mostly hunted for their ]; some end up in ]s.
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
'''Dolphin drive hunting''', also called '''dolphin drive fishing''', is a method of ] ]s and occasionally other small ]s by driving them together with boats, usually into a bay or onto a beach. Their escape is prevented by closing off the route to the open sea or ocean with boats and nets. Dolphins are hunted this way in several places around the world including the ], the ], ], and ], which is the most well-known practitioner of the method. In large numbers dolphins are mostly hunted for their ]; some end up in ]s.


Despite the controversial nature of the hunt resulting in international criticism, and the possible health risk that the often polluted meat causes, thousands of dolphins are caught in drive hunts each year. Despite the controversial nature of the hunt resulting in international criticism, and the possible health risk that the often polluted meat causes, tens of thousands of dolphins are caught in drive hunts each year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://awionline.org/press-releases/report-100000-dolphins-small-whales-and-porpoises-slaughtered-globally-each-year|title=Report: 100,000+ Dolphins, Small Whales and Porpoises Slaughtered Globally Each Year|date=7 August 2018 }}</ref>


] caught in a drive hunt in ] on the ] being taken away with a forklift]] ] caught in a drive hunt in ] on the ] being taken away with a forklift]]
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=== Faroe Islands === === Faroe Islands ===
{{See also|Whaling in the Faroe Islands}} {{Main|Whaling in the Faroe Islands}}
] with cut necks in the bay of Nes (Hvalba) on the Faroe Islands, where they beached themselves.]] ]s on the beach in the village ] on the southernmost Faroese island ], August 2002]]
On the Faroe Islands mainly ] are killed by drive hunts for their meat and blubber. Other species are also killed on rare occasion such as the Northern bottlenose whale and ]. The Northern bottlenose whale is mainly killed when it accidentally swims too close to the beach and cannot return to the water. When the locals find them stranded or nearly stranded on the beach, they kill them and share the meat to all the villagers.<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|url=http://aktuelt.fo/grein/doglingar_deydir_i_sandvk|title=Tíðindi - Føroyski portalurin - portal.fo|work=portal.fo|accessdate=20 August 2015}}</ref>


Whaling in the ] takes the form of beaching and slaughtering ]s. It has been practiced since about the time of the first ] settlements on these ] islands, and thus can be considered ]. It is mentioned in the ], a Faroese law from 1298, a supplement to the ] ] law.<ref name="Disappearing Foods">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XR9YIaG0kIcC&q=sheep+letter+1298+grind&pg=PA86|title=Disappearing Foods: Studies in Foods and Dishes at Risk|last=Walker|first=Harlan|isbn=9780907325628|year=1995|publisher=Oxford Symposium }}</ref>
The stranding of the Northern bottlenose whale mainly happens in two villages in the northern part of Suðuroy: ] and ]. It is believed that it happens because of a navigation problem of the whale, because there are isthmuses on these places, where the distance between the east and west coasts are short, around one kilometer or so. And for some reason it seems like the bottlenose whale want to take a short cut through what it thinks is a sound, and too late it discovers, that is on shallow ground and is unable to turn around again. It happened on 30 August 2012, when two Northern bottlenose whales swam ashore to the gorge Sigmundsgjógv in ]. Two men who were working on the harbour noticed these whales, and some time later they had either died by themselves or were killed by the locals and then cut up for food for the people of Sandvík and Hvalba (Hvalba municipality).<ref name=autogenerated3 />


It is closely regulated by the Faroese authorities,<ref name="logir.fo"></ref> with around 800 long-finned pilot whales<ref name="hagstova.fo"></ref> and some ]s slaughtered annually;<ref>{{cite web|title=Grinds de 2000 à 2013 |url=http://www.whaling.fo/Default.aspx?ID=7125 |website=www.whaling.fo/ Catch figures |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106012321/http://whaling.fo/Default.aspx?ID=7125 |archive-date=6 November 2014 }}</ref> mainly during the summer. The hunts, called ''grindadráp'' in ], are non-commercial and are organized on a community level. Anyone who has a special training certificate on slaughtering a pilot whale with the spinal-cord lance can participate.<ref name="Certificate2015">{{cite web|url=http://www.in.fo/news-detail/news/nu-eru-1380-foeroyingar-klarir-at-fara-i-grind/|title=Nú eru 1380 føroyingar klárir at fara í grind|last=Bertholdsen|first=Áki|date=5 March 2015|publisher=Sosialurin - in.fo|language=fo|access-date=2 August 2015|archive-date=5 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205140146/https://www.in.fo/news-detail/news/nu-eru-1380-foeroyingar-klarir-at-fara-i-grind/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="The Grind Law">{{cite web|url=http://www.logir.fo/Logtingslog/56-fra-19-05-2015-um-grind-og-annan-smahval|title=Løgtingslóg um grind og annan smáhval, sum seinast broytt við løgtingslóg nr. 93 frá 22. juni 2015|date=19 May 2015|publisher=Logir.fo|language=fo|access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref> The police and Grindaformenn are allowed to remove people from the grind area.<ref name="logir.fo"/> The hunters first surround the pilot whales with a wide semicircle of boats. The boats then drive the pilot whales into a ] or to the bottom of a ]. Not all bays are certified, and the slaughter will only take place on a certified beach.
The hunt of the pilot whale is known by the locals as the ]. There are no fixed hunting seasons. As soon as a pod close enough to land is spotted, the locals set out to begin the hunt, after approval from the sysselman. The animals are driven into a bay which is approved for whaling by the Faroese government, and then they try to make the whales to beach themselves. The only way out is being blocked off by some of the boats, which stay there until men who have been waiting on shore have slaughtered all the whales.<ref name=autogenerated4>Jústines Olsen (1999), , article retrieved on June 21, 2008. {{Wayback|url=http://www.whaling.fo/nammco99whalingandanimal.htm|date =20080614224523|bot=DASHBot}}</ref>


Many Faroese consider the whale meat an important part of their food culture and history. Animal rights groups criticize the slaughter as being cruel and unnecessary.<ref></ref><ref name="The Knowledge 2014">{{cite web|url=http://theknowledgeplymouth.co.uk/whaling-in-the-faroe-islands-a-cruel-and-unnecessary-ritual-or-sustainable-food-practice/|title=Whaling in the Faroe Islands: a cruel and unnecessary ritual or sustainable food practice?|last=Barrat|first=Harry|date=3 February 2014|publisher=The Knowledge|access-date=2 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222112614/http://theknowledgeplymouth.co.uk/whaling-in-the-faroe-islands-a-cruel-and-unnecessary-ritual-or-sustainable-food-practice/|archive-date=22 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Advocacy for Animals 2010">{{cite web|url=http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2010/04/the-faroe-islands-whale-hunt/|title=The Faroe Islands Whale Hunt|last=Duignan|first=Brian|date=26 April 2010|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica - Advocacy for Animals|access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref> In November 2008, Høgni Debes Joensen, chief medical officer of the Faroe Islands and Pál Weihe, scientist, have recommended in a letter to the Faroese government that pilot whales should no longer be considered fit for human consumption because of the high level of ], ] and ] derivatives.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.landslaeknin.fo/upload/tilmaeli_um_grind.pdf |title=landslaeknin.fo |access-date=19 April 2018 |archive-date=10 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810025738/http://www.landslaeknin.fo/upload/tilmaeli_um_grind.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="toxic-whale">{{cite news |first=Debora |last=MacKenzie |date=28 November 2008 |title=Faroe islanders told to stop eating 'toxic' whales. |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16159-faroe-islanders-told-to-stop-eating-toxic-whales.html |work=] |access-date=21 July 2009}}</ref> However, the Faroese government did not forbid whaling. On 1 July 2011 the Faroese Food and Veterinary Authority announced their recommendation regarding the safety of eating meat and blubber from the pilot whale, which was not as strict as the one of the chief medical officers. The new recommendation says only one dinner with whale meat and blubber per month, with a special recommendation for younger women, girls, pregnant women and breastfeeding women.<ref name="hfs.fo"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810183632/http://www.hfs.fo/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/HFS/WWW_HFS_FO/UMSITING/KUNNANDITILFAR/KUNNANDITILFARFRABODANIR/KUNNTILFFRAMATVORUR/GRIND_0.PDF |date=10 August 2014 }}</ref> From 2002 to 2009 the PCB concentration in whale meat has fallen by 75%, DDT values in the same time period have fallen by 70% and mercury levels have also fallen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us.fo/Default.aspx?ID=10642|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206224651/http://us.fo/Default.aspx?ID=10642|archive-date=6 February 2015|title=Kyksilvur í grind}}</ref>
When on the beach, most of them get stuck. Those that have remained too far in the water are dragged onto the beach by putting a hook in their ]. When on land, they are killed by cutting down to the major arteries and ] at the neck. The time it takes for a whale to die varies from a few seconds Up to half a minute, depending on the cut.<ref name=autogenerated4 /> If the locals fail to beach the animals altogether, they are let free again.

The pilot whale stock in the eastern and central North Atlantic is estimated to number 778,000.
About a thousand pilot whales are killed this way each year on the Faroe Islands together with usually a few dozen up to a few hundred animals belonging to other small cetaceans species, but numbers vary greatly per year.<ref>Faroese museum of natural history, zoological department (year unknown), , data retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref> The amount of Pilot Whales killed each year is not believed to be a threat to the sustainability of the population,<ref>Jóhann Sigurjónsson (year unknown), , article retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref> but the brutal appearance of the hunt has resulted in international criticism especially from animal welfare organisations.

Due to pollution, consumption of the meat and blubber is considered unhealthy by some. Especially children and pregnant women are at risk, with ] exposure to ] and ]s primarily from the consumption of pilot whale meat has resulted in ] deficits amongst children.<ref>{{Cite web|author= ] / ] DTIE Chemicals Branch |year= 2008 |title= Guidance for identifying populations at risk from mercury exposure|page= 36 |url= http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/chem/mercuryexposure.pdf |quote= The Faroe Islands population was exposed to methylmercury largely from contaminated pilot whale meat, which contained very high levels of about 2 mg methylmercury/kg. However, the Faroe Islands populations also eat significant amounts of fish. The study of about 900 Faroese children showed that prenatal exposure to methylmercury resulted in neuropsychological deficits at 7 years of age. |accessdate= 29 August 2013}}</ref><ref>Nick Haslam for BBC news (2003), , article retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref>

In November 2008, the ] reported in an article that research done in the Faroe Islands lead to the recommendation by Faroese government that the consumption of Pilot Whale meat in the Faroes should stop as it had been proved to be too toxic.<ref>Debora MacKenzie for the New Scientist, , article retrieved November 28, 2008.</ref> However, the Faroese government did not forbid people to eat Pilot Whale meat due to the contamination, but the advice from the Joensen and Weihe had an effect, it has resulted in reduced consumption, according to a senior Faroese health official.<ref>WDCS (2009), , article retrieved July 10, 2009.</ref>

In June 2011 the Faroese Food and Veterinary Authorities sent out an official recommendation regarding the consumption of meat and blubber from the pilot whale.<ref></ref> They recommend that because of the pollution of the whale:

* Adults should only eat one dinner with pilot whale meat and blubber per month.
* Special advice for women and girls:
** Girls and women should not eat blubber at all until they have finished given birth to children.
** Women who plan to get pregnant within 3 months, pregnant women and women who breastfeed should probably not eat whale meat at all.
* The kidneys and liver of the pilot whales should not be eaten.<ref></ref>


=== Iceland=== === Iceland===
{{Main|Whaling in Iceland}}
In mid-1950s, fishermen in Iceland requested assistance from the government to remove Killer Whales from Icelandic waters as they damaged fishing equipment. With fisheries accounting for 20% of Iceland's employment at the time, the perceived economic impact was significant. The Icelandic government asked the United States for assistance. As a ] ally with an air base in Iceland, the ] deployed Patrol Squadrons VP-18 and VP-7 to achieve this task. According to the US Navy, hundreds of animals were killed with ]s, ]s and ]s.<ref>United States Navy Archive / Naval Aviation News (1956) </ref>
In mid-1950s, fishermen in Iceland requested assistance from the government to remove ]s from Icelandic waters as they damaged fishing equipment. With fisheries accounting for 20% of Iceland's employment at the time, the perceived economic impact was significant. The Icelandic government asked the United States for assistance. As a ] ally with an air base in Iceland, the ] deployed Patrol Squadrons VP-18 and VP-7 to achieve this task. According to the US Navy, hundreds of animals were killed with ]s, ]s and ]s.<ref>United States Navy Archive / Naval Aviation News (1956) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309231158/http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1950s/1956/dec56.pdf |date=9 March 2014 }}</ref>


In the late 1970s, after the ] and the ban on hunting Killer Whales in ] in 1976 as discussed later in this article, the hunting of Killer Whales in Iceland resumed, this time aiming to capture live animals for the entertainment industry. The first two Killer Whales captured went to ] in the ]. One of these animals was soon after transferred to ]. These captures continued until 1989, with the additional animals going to SeaWorld, ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>PBS - Frontline - , article retrieved 9 March 2014.</ref> In the late 1970s, after the ] and the ban on hunting killer whales in ] in 1976 as discussed later in this article, the hunting of killer whales in Iceland resumed, this time aiming to capture live animals for the entertainment industry. The first two killer whales captured went to ] in the ]. One of these animals was soon after transferred to ]. These captures continued until 1989 with the additional animals going to SeaWorld, ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>PBS - Frontline - , article retrieved 9 March 2014.</ref>


Although ] does still take place in Icelandic waters today, dolphins are no longer hunted and whale watching is popular amongst tourists. Although commercial whaling does still take place in Icelandic waters today, dolphins are no longer hunted and ] is popular amongst tourists.


=== Japan === === Japan ===
{{See also|Fishing industry in Japan|Taiji dolphin drive hunt|Whaling in Japan}} {{Main|Taiji dolphin drive hunt|History of dolphin fishing and utilization in Japan}}
{{See also|Fishing industry in Japan|Whaling in Japan}}
]]]


The Taiji dolphin drive hunt captures small cetaceans for ] and for sale to ]s. ] has a long connection to ]. The 2009 documentary film '']'' drew international attention to the hunt. Taiji is the only town in Japan where drive hunting still takes place on a large scale. Concern is majority through the methodology of the hunt, as actions are viewed as inhumane. An article by '']'' refers to The ]' decision to no longer support the Taiji hunt. In 2015, it was announced that there would be a ban in the buying and selling of dolphins through the means of this hunt.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
In Japan, ], ], ], and ] are most commonly hunted, but several other species such as the ] are also occasionally caught. A small number of ]s have been caught in the past as well. Relatively few Striped Dolphins are found in the coastal waters, probably due to hunting (65 Striped Dolphin were caught and killed on January 28, 2014. Despite their rarity, the entire pod was killed using a painful and inhumane method that causes severe distress.)<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/20731/0
| title = Stenella coeruleoalba
| work = IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2.
| publisher = IUCN
| year = 2008
| author = Hammond, P.S., Bearzi, G., Bjørge, A., Forney, K., Karczmarski, L., Kasuya, T., Perrin, W.F., Scott, M.D., Wang, J.Y., Wells, R.S. & Wilson, B.
| accessdate = December 22, 2009
}}</ref>

Catches in 2007 amounted to 384 Striped Dolphins, 300 Bottlenose Dolphins, 312 Risso's Dolphins and 243 ], for a total of 1,239 animals. These numbers do not include dolphins or other small whale species killed using various other methods, such as offshore ] hunts, in which mainly ]s are killed. Another 77 Bottlenose Dolphins, 8 Risso Dolphins, 5 Southern Short Finned Pilot Whales were captured for use in the entertainment industry in Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan. The quota set by the government for the species that were targeted in drive hunts that year allowed for the capture of 685 Striped Dolphins, 1,018 Bottlenose Dolphins, 541 Risso's Dolphins, and 369 Southern Short Finned Pilot Whales. The quota applies to all hunting methods.<ref>National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries (2008), , article retrieved on November 30, 2009.</ref>

], Japan.]]
], ] is the only town in Japan where drive hunting still takes place on a large scale. Captive dolphin are now sold to aquariums and swim programs all over the world. The animals that are captured often die within days due to shock and injury. Many die during transport. The rest will live out their considerably shortened lives in captivity. A hunt took place in the Futo area of ] in 2004.<!-- <ref>, presentation retrieved June 21, 2008.{{cn|date=February 2014}}</ref> The inaccuracies in this presentation clearly indicate that its authors have little first-hand knowledge of Japan in general and this subject in particular, and was meant for an audience who know even less. It is also sorely out of date for the statement it was backing up. --> In 2007, Taiji wanted to step up its dolphin hunting programs, approving an estimated ¥330 million for the construction of a massive cetacean slaughterhouse in an effort to popularize the consumption of dolphins in the country.<ref name="JapanTimes">Jun Hongo (2007), staff writer for The Japan Times. , The Japan Times article retrieved June 21, 2008.</ref>

An increase in criticism and the considerable toxicity of the meat appears to be achieving the opposite. During the first hunt of the season in Taiji in 2009, an estimated 50 Pilot Whales and 100 Bottlenose Dolphins were captured. Although all the Pilot Whales were killed, and 30 Bottlenose Dolphins were taken for use in dolphinariums, the 70 remaining animals were set free again instead of being killed for consumption.<ref>Justin McCurry for the Global Post (2009), , article retrieved November 2, 2009.</ref>

A number of dolphin welfare advocacy groups such as Earth Island Institute, Surfers for Cetaceans and Dolphin Project Inc., dispute these official Japanese claims. These groups assert that the number of dolphins and porpoises killed is much higher, estimated at 25,000 per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.surfermag.com/features/killing-cove/|title=HIGH NOON AT KILLING COVE: Rasta And Crew Take A Stand|work=SURFER Magazine|accessdate=20 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/eij/article/international_marine_mammal_project7/|title=International Marine Mammal Project|publisher=|accessdate=20 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedolphinproject.org/data.html|title=Research Data|publisher=|accessdate=20 August 2015}}</ref>

In 2014 an Australian non-profit organisation called ] (featured in the documentary The Killing Cove) launched a world-first lawsuit against the brokers of the drive hunts, the Taiji Whale Museum. The lawsuit, known as the Action for Angel case, alleges that the museum illegally refused entry to dolphin welfare observers, and aims to open the museum up to public scrutiny. The lawsuit, which is ongoing, is expected to reach an outcome in 2015.<ref>https://www.action4angel.org</ref>

In 2014, ] ] asked for understanding of Japanese dolphin hunting in a small town (Taiji) in western Japan responding to U.S. Ambassador to Japan ]. He said "The dolphin hunting is an ancient practice rooted in their culture and supports their livelihood. In every country and region, there are practices and ways of living and culture that have been handed down from ancestors. Naturally, I feel that they should be respected.".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140125p2g00m0dm135000c.html |title=Abe asks for understanding of Japanese dolphin hunting |publisher=THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS |agency=Kyodo |date=February 2, 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202103148/http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140125p2g00m0dm135000c.html |archivedate=2014-02-02}}</ref>

==== Method ====
In Japan, the hunting is done by a select group of fishermen.<ref>Paul Kenyon (2004), reporter for the BBC. , retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref> When a pod of dolphins has been spotted, they're driven into a bay by the fishermen while banging on metal rods in the water to scare and confuse the dolphins. When the dolphins are in the bay, it is quickly closed off with nets so the dolphins cannot escape. The dolphins are usually not caught and killed immediately, but instead left to calm down over night. The following day, the dolphins are caught one by one and killed.<ref name=autogenerated1>Kjeld Duits (2005), Japan correspondent for Environmental News Service (ENS). , ENS article retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref>

The killing of the animals used to be done by slitting their throats, but the Japanese government banned this method and now dolphins may officially only be killed by driving a metal pin into the neck of the dolphin, which causes them to die within seconds according to a memo from Senzo Uchida, the executive secretary of the Japan Cetacean Conference on Zoological Gardens and Aquariums.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> A veterinary team's analysis of 2011 video footage of a Japanese hunters killing ]s using this method suggested that in one case death took over four minutes.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1080/10888705.2013.768925| title = A Veterinary and Behavioral Analysis of Dolphin Killing Methods Currently Used in the "Drive Hunt" in Taiji, Japan| journal = Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science| volume = 16| issue = 2| pages = 184| year = 2013| last1 = Butterworth | first1 = A. | last2 = Brakes | first2 = P. | last3 = Vail | first3 = C. S. | last4 = Reiss | first4 = D. }}</ref>

====Entertainment industry====
] being lifted onto the back of a truck in Futo, 2004.]]
As briefly mentioned above, occasionally, some of the captured dolphins are left alive and taken to mainly, but not exclusively, Japanese dolphinariums.<ref>, retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref> Prior to the practice being banned in 1993, dolphins were exported to the United States to several parks.<ref>Roger Moore for the Orlando Sentinel (2009) , article retrieved August 27, 2010.</ref>

The US ] has refused a permit for ] on one occasion to import four ]s caught in a Japanese drive hunt. In recent years, dolphins from the Japanese drive hunts have been exported to China, Taiwan<ref>Courtney S.Vail and Denise Risch (2006), , chapter ''International trade in drive hunt dolphins''. Retrieved June 21, 2008.</ref> and to Egypt.<ref>HEPCA (2010), , article retrieved October 6, 2010.</ref> On multiple occasions, members of the International Marine Animal Trainers Association (IMATA) have also been observed at the drive hunts in Japan.<ref>Thomas H. Brown (2005), (page 4), retrieved June 21, 2008. Also, Bill Rossiter (2004), , retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref>

==== Human health risks ====
The meat and blubber of the dolphins caught has been found to have high levels of ], ], the pesticide ], and organic contaminants like ].<ref>Marine connection magazine , article ''Captured, killed and contaminated'', retrieved June 21, 2008.</ref><ref>, ] June 21, 2008.</ref><ref>Johnston, Eric, "", '']'', September 23, 2009, p. 3.</ref> The levels are high enough to pose a health risk for those frequently eating the meat and researchers warn that children and pregnant women shouldn't eat the meat at all. Because of the health concerns, the price of dolphin meat has decreased significantly.<ref>Gary Anderson for the Sunday Mirror (2006), article ''Slaughtered'', read on October 14, 2006.</ref>

In 2010, hair samples from 1,137 Taiji residents were tested for mercury by the National Institute for ]. The average amount of methyl mercury found in the hair samples was 11.0 parts per million for men and 6.63 ppm for women, compared with an average of 2.47 ppm for men and 1.64 ppm for women in tests conducted in 14 other locations in Japan. One hundred eighty-two Taiji residents showing extremely high mercury levels underwent further medical testing to check for symptoms of mercury poisoning. None of the Taiji residents displayed any of the traditional symptoms of mercury poisoning, according to the Institute.<ref>Matsutani, Minoru, "", '']'', May 10, 2010, p. 1.</ref><ref>Matsutani, Minoru, "", '']'', May 10, 2010, p. 2.</ref>

Japan's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, however, reports that the mortality rate for Taiji and nearby Koazagawa, where dolphin meat is also consumed, is over 50% higher than the rate for similarly-sized villages throughout Japan.<ref>Harnell, Boyd, "", '']'', May 23, 2010, p. 12.</ref> The chief of the NIMD, ], said, "We presume that the high mercury concentrations are due to the intake of dolphin and ]. There were not any particular cases of damaged health, but seeing as how there were some especially high concentration levels found, we would like to continue conducting surveys here."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yomidr.yomiuri.co.jp/page.jsp?id=24664|title=エラー : yomiDr. / ヨミドクター（読売新聞）|author=2009-08-25 11:04:49 2009-08-27 14:32:152009-08-25 11:11:502009-08-25 11:03:542009-08-08 00:00:00|publisher=|accessdate=20 August 2015}}</ref>

Due to its low food self-sufficiency rate, around 40%, Japan relies on stockpiling to secure a stable food supply.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x0736m/rep2/japan.htm|title=JAPAN - JAPON|publisher=|accessdate=20 August 2015}}</ref> As of 2009, Japan's 1.2 million ton seafood stockpile included nearly 5000 tons of whale meat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100126i1.html|title=No solution in sight for fight over whales|work=The Japan Times|accessdate=20 August 2015}}</ref> Japan has started to serve whale meat in school lunches as part of a government initiative to reduce the amounts.<ref></ref> However, there has been criticism of serving whale meat to school children due to allegations of toxic methyl ] levels.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUST6359120070801 | work=Reuters | title=Whalemeat in Japanese school lunches found toxic | date=August 1, 2007}}</ref>

Consequently, Taiji's bid to expand their school lunch programs to include dolphin and whale meat brought about much controversy. An estimated 150&nbsp;kg (330&nbsp;lbs) of dolphin meat was served in Taiji school lunches in 2006. In 2009, dolphin meat was taken off school menus because of the contamination.<ref>Michael Body for The Australian (2009), , article retrieved November 2, 2009.</ref> The levels of mercury and ] taken from samples of dolphin and whale meat sold at supermarkets most likely to be providing the schools' lunch programs was 10 times that advised by the Japanese Health Ministry. The mercury levels were so high that the Okuwa Co. supermarket chain in Japan permanently removed dolphin meat from its shelves.<ref>Eric Prideaux (2007), staff writer for The Japan Times. , The Japan Times Article retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref>

==== Protests ====
<!-- FAIR USE of Bottlenoseconvulsion.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/Image:Bottlenoseconvulsion.jpg for rationale -->
]

Protests and campaigns are now common in Taiji.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/04/dolphin-drive-hunt-japan_n_5760710.html|title=Annual Dolphin Drive Hunt Begins In Japan|work=The Huffington Post|accessdate=20 August 2015}}</ref> In 2003, two activists were arrested for cutting fishing nets to release captured dolphins.<ref>, article retrieved June 21, 2008.</ref> They were detained for 23 days. In 2007, American actress ] was involved in a confrontation with Japanese fishermen as she tried to disrupt the hunt. She paddled out on a surfboard, with five other surfers from Australia and the United States, in an attempt to reach a pod of dolphins that had been captured. The following confrontation lasted more than 10 minutes before the surfers were forced to return to the beach. The surfers drove straight to ] airport and left the country to avoid being arrested for ] by the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1291049,00.html|title=TV Star In Japan Dolphin Cull Clash|publisher=]|date=June 21, 2008}}</ref>

Taiji's fishery cooperative union argues that these protesters "continue willfully to distort the facts about this fishery" and that protester's agendas are "based neither on international law nor on science but rather on emotion for economic self-interest."<ref>, article retrieved June 21, 2008.</ref> Some of the animal welfare organizations campaigning against the drive hunts are Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project, ], One Voice,<ref> (official website, French), as viewed on June 21, 2008.</ref> ],<ref> (official website), as viewed on June 21, 2008.</ref> the ], and ].

Since much of the criticism is the result of photos and videos taken during the hunt and slaughter, it is now common for the final capture and slaughter to take place on site inside a tent or under a plastic cover, out of sight from the public. The most circulated footage is probably that of the drive and subsequent capture and slaughter process taken in Futo in October 1999 (a still of which can be seen on the right), shot by the Japanese animal welfare organization Elsa Nature Conservancy. Part of this footage was, amongst others, shown on ].<ref name=autogenerated2>Howard Hall (year unknown), , article retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref>

In recent years, the video has also become widespread on the internet and was featured in the animal welfare documentary '']'', though the method of killing dolphins as shown in this video is now officially banned. In 2009, a critical documentary on the hunts in Japan titled '']'' was released and shown amongst others at the ]. Well known are also the images from ] taken in 1979 of a Japanese fisherman stabbing dolphins to death with ]s in shallow water.<ref name=autogenerated2 />


=== Kiribati === === Kiribati ===
Similar drive hunting existed in ] at least until the mid 20th century.<ref>British diplomat Arthur Grimble's memoir, ''A Pattern of Islands'' (1952)</ref> Similar drive hunting existed in ] at least until the mid-20th century.<ref>British diplomat Arthur Grimble's memoir, ''A Pattern of Islands'' (1952)</ref>


=== Peru === === Peru ===
] being skinned on a boat in Peru.]] ] being skinned on a boat in Peru]]
Though it is forbidden under Peruvian law to hunt dolphins or eat their meat (sold as ''chancho marino'', or ''sea pork'' in English), a large number of dolphins are still killed illegally by fishermen each year.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hall |first=Kevin G. |title=Dolphin meat widely available in Peruvian stores: Despite protected status, 'sea pork' is popular fare |newspaper=The Seattle Times |year=2003 |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Dolphin+meat+widely+available+in+Peruvian+stores+Despite+protected...-a0102897976 |access-date=7 December 2010 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> To catch the dolphins, they are driven together with boats and encircled with nets, then ]ed, dragged on to the boat, and clubbed to death if still alive. Various species are hunted, such as the ] and ].<ref>Stefan Austermühle (2003), , article retrieved on 21 June 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928061242/http://www.awionline.org/pubs/Quarterly/sp03/0603p9.htm |date=28 September 2007 }}</ref>
Though it is forbidden under Peruvian law to hunt dolphins or eat their meat (sold as ''chancho marino'', or ''sea pork'' in English),
a large number of dolphins are still killed illegally by fishermen each year.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hall |first=Kevin G. |title=Dolphin meat widely available in Peruvian stores: Despite protected status, 'sea pork' is popular fare |newspaper=The Seattle Times |pages= |year=2003 |date= |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Dolphin+meat+widely+available+in+Peruvian+stores+Despite+protected...-a0102897976 |accessdate=7 Dec 2010 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> To catch the dolphins, they are driven together with boats and encircled with nets, then ]ed, dragged on to the boat, and clubbed to death if still alive. Various species are hunted, such as the ] and ].<ref>Stefan Austermühle (2003), , article retrieved on June 21, 2008. {{Wayback|url=http://www.awionline.org/pubs/Quarterly/sp03/0603p9.htm|date =20070928061242|bot=DASHBot}}</ref>


According to estimates from local animal welfare organisation Mundo Azul released in October 2013, between 1,000 and 2,000 dolphins are killed annually for consumption, with a further 5,000 to 15,000 being killed for use as shark bait. Sharks are captured both for their meat and for use of their fins in ].<ref>Hispanic Business (2013), , article retrieved 30 October 2013.</ref><ref>All Voices (2013), , article retrieved 30 October 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rodriguez|first1=Cindy|last2=Romo|first2=Rafael|title=Dolphins killed for shark bait in Peru|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/22/world/americas/dolphins-killed-peru/|accessdate=8 October 2016|work=CNN|date=October 23, 2013}}</ref> According to estimates from local animal welfare organisation Mundo Azul released in October 2013, between 1,000 and 2,000 dolphins are killed annually for consumption, with a further 5,000 to 15,000 being killed for use as shark bait. Sharks are captured both for their meat and for use of their fins in ].<ref>Hispanic Business (2013), {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030011252/http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2013/10/25/peruvian_officials_to_take_action_to.htm |date=30 October 2013 }}, article retrieved 30 October 2013.</ref><ref>All Voices (2013), {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102065833/http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/15814517-fishermen-butchering-dolphins-for-shark-bait-sparks-global-outrage |date=2013-11-02 }}, article retrieved 30 October 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rodriguez|first1=Cindy|last2=Romo|first2=Rafael|title=Dolphins killed for shark bait in Peru|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/22/world/americas/dolphins-killed-peru/|access-date=8 October 2016|work=CNN|date=23 October 2013}}</ref>


=== Solomon Islands === === Solomon Islands ===
{{Main|Malaita dolphin drive hunt}}
<!-- FAIR USE of Dolphinhuntsolomon.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/Image:Dolphinhuntsolomon.jpg for rationale --> <!-- FAIR USE of Dolphinhuntsolomon.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/Image:Dolphinhuntsolomon.jpg for rationale -->
].]] ]]]
On a smaller scale, drive hunting for dolphins also takes place in the Solomon Islands, more specifically on ].<ref name="TAK1">{{cite book |last1= Takekawa |first1= Daisuke |authorlink1= |title= Hunting method and the ecological knowledge of dolphins among the Fanalei villagers of Malaita, Solomon Islands |url= http://westernsolomons.uib.no/docs/Hviding,%20Edvard/Johannes%20&%20Hviding%202000%20SPC%20Traditional%2012.pdf |format= |accessdate= |year= 2000 |publisher= SPC Traditional Marine Resource Management and Knowledge Information Bulletin No. 12|location= |language= |isbn=|oclc= |doi= |id= |page=4 |pages= |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= |ref= |bibcode= }}</ref> After capture, the meat is shared equally between households. Dolphin's teeth are also used in jewelry and as ] on the island.<ref>Takekawa Daisuke & Ethel Falu (1995, 2006), , article retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref> The dolphins are hunted in a similar fashion as in Japan, using stones instead of metal rods to produce sounds to scare and confuse the dolphins. Various species are hunted, such as Spotted and ]s.<ref name="TAK1"/>


Dolphin are hunted in Malaita, in the ] in the ], mainly for ] and teeth, and also sometimes for live capture for ]s. The hunt on ] is smaller in scale than Tajai.<ref name="TAK1">{{cite book|last1=Takekawa|first1=Daisuke|title=Hunting method and the ecological knowledge of dolphins among the Fanalei villagers of Malaita, Solomon Islands|url=http://westernsolomons.uib.no/docs/Hviding,%20Edvard/Johannes%20&%20Hviding%202000%20SPC%20Traditional%2012.pdf|year=2000|publisher=SPC Traditional Marine Resource Management and Knowledge Information Bulletin No. 12|page=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093949/http://westernsolomons.uib.no/docs/Hviding%2C%20Edvard/Johannes%20%26%20Hviding%202000%20SPC%20Traditional%2012.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> After capture, the meat is shared equally between households. Dolphin teeth are also used in jewelry and as currency on the island.<ref>Takekawa Daisuke & Ethel Falu (1995, 2006), {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928064137/http://www.apa-apa.net/kirio/kirio-e.htm |date=2007-09-28 }}, article retrieved on 21 June 2008.</ref>
The amount of dolphins killed each year is not known, but anecdotal information suggests between 600 and 1500 dolphins per hunting season.<ref>The department of fisheries and marine resources of the Solomon Islands, (including commentary from ]), article retrieved 22 June 2008.</ref> The hunting season lasts roughly from December to April, when the dolphins are closest to shore.<ref>] TV Documentary, Doc Zone - Dolphin Dealer.</ref> As in Japan, some dolphins (exclusively Bottlenoses) from the Solomon Islands have also been sold to the entertainment industry.<ref>] (2003), , article retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref>

There was much controversy in July 2003, when 28 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops trancatus aduncus) were exported to Parque Nizuc, a water park in Cancun. A large portion of the animals were later transported to Cozumel, to do interaction programs. Though the export of dolphins had been banned in 2005,<ref>''Supplement to the Solomon Islands Gazette'', dated Thursday the 25th of November 2005; ''The fisheries (prohibition of export of dolphins) regulation 2005'', retrieved October 14, 2006.</ref> the export of dolphins was resumed in October 2007 when the ban was lifted following a court decision, allowing for 28 dolphins to be sent to a dolphinarium in ]. A further three dolphins were found dead near the holding pens.<ref>The Associated Press / International Herald Tribune , article retrieved June 21, 2008.</ref>

The dealer that exported these dolphins has stated that they intend to release their 17 remaining dolphins back into the wild in the future.<ref>Moffat Mamu for Solomon Star News (2010), , article retrieved February 13, 2010.</ref>
In 2015 the tourism minister visited Bita'ama community and announced the government would financially support the development of eco-tourism dolphin swimming if they stopped killing dolphins.<ref name="sbs.com.au">SBS World News (14 July 2015) </ref>

In April 2009 it was decided by ] that an in-depth review of the commercial dolphin trade conducted from the Solomon Islands should take place, this after the ] Cetacean Specialist Group came to the conclusion that insufficient population data exists to prove the sustainability of the wild captures and the current export quota of 100 animals per year.<ref>Underwater Times (2009) , article retrieved July 10, 2009.</ref> The Solomon Island Dolphin Abundance Project was established to provide data on the size of the local Indo-Pacific Bottlenose population and the sustainability of the dolphin hunts.<ref>CITES - , reported retrieved September 3, 2009.</ref> A report published in March 2013 as a result of this effort indicated that the capture of dolphins in the Solomon Islands can only be sustainable at a very low rate and that previous rates of capture as seen between 2003 and 2013 would not be sustainable in the future.<ref>M.Oremus et al. (2013), , report retrieved 19 December 2013.</ref>

The Solomon Islands signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Conservation of Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region under the Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species in 2007,<ref name="WB2013">{{cite web| last = | first = |title= Pacific Cetaceans MoU Membership| publisher=Convention on Migratory Species |chapter=|date =|url= http://www.pacificcetaceans.org/membership.php | accessdate=}}</ref> which is a commitment to improve conservation efforts, reduce threats and undertake research and monitoring of cetaceans and provide reports.<ref name="Cites380b">{{cite book |last1= |first1= |authorlink1= |title= Review of Significant Trade: Species selected by the CITES Animals Committee following CoP14 and retained in the review following AC25|url= http://www.cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/com/ac/26/E26-12-02-A.pdf |format= |accessdate= 20 May 2014 |year= 2012 |publisher= CITES Project No. S-380: Prepared for the CITES Secretariat by United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre |location= |language= |isbn=|oclc= |doi= |id= |page=11 |pages=|chapter= Tursiops aduncus, Ehrenberg, 1833: Solomon Islands, Delphinidae, Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin, Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin|chapterurl= |quote= |ref= |bibcode= }}</ref> ], the prime minister of the Solomon Islands, announced in 2014 that he opposes export of live dolphins, but defends the traditional hunting of dolphin.<ref name="JI2014">{{cite web| last = Inifiri | first = Jeremy |title= Solomon’s PM Defends Traditional Dolphin Hunting: Lilo supports seasonal ‘harvesting,’ opposes export of live dolphins| publisher= Solomon Star |chapter=|date =17 February 2014|url= http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2014/February/02-17-04.htm | accessdate=}}</ref> The capture and trade of wild dolphins is prohibited in the ] of the Solomon Islands.<ref>Solomon Times (2008), , article retrieved September 3, 2009.</ref>

In recent years only villages in ] have continued to hunt dolphin. In 2010, the villages of Fanalei, Walende, and Bitamae signed a MoU with the non-governmental organization, Earth Island Institute, to stop hunting dolphin. However, in early 2013 the agreement broke down and some men in Fanalei resumed hunting.<ref name="MNM">{{cite web| last =Nandini Mitra | first = Maureen |title= Solomon Islands’ Dolphin Kill Spurred by Corrupt Dolphin Traders, Says Animal Rights Group| publisher=.earthisland.org |chapter=|date = 25 January 2013|url= http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/solomon_islands_dolphin_kill_spurred_by_corrupt_dolphin_traders/ | accessdate=22 May 2014}}</ref> The hunting of dolphin continued in early 2014.<ref name="IB180214 ">{{cite web| last = | first = |title= 350 plus dolphins caught, slaughtered in Solomon Islands | publisher=Island Business from Solomon Star/Pacnews |chapter=|date =18 February 2014|url= http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/solomon-islands/4639/350-plus-dolphins-caught-slaughtered-in-solomon-is/ | accessdate=22 May 2014}}</ref>

Tourism minister Bartholomew Parapolo visited the Bita'ama community in 2015 and offered to fund eco-tourism business project involving swimming with dolphins, if they ceased killing.<ref name="sbs.com.au"/>


=== Taiwan === === Taiwan ===
On the ] in ], drive fishing of Bottlenose Dolphins was practiced until 1990, when the practice was outlawed by the government. Mainly ]s but also common Bottlenose Dolphins were captured in these hunts.<ref>R. R. Reeves, W. F. Perrin, B. L. Taylor, C. S. Baker and S. L. Mesnick (2004), ''Report of the Workshop on Shortcomings of Cetacean Taxonomy in Relation to Needs of Conservation and Management'', page 27, section ''Management of cetacean exploitation''. Article retrieved on October 21, 2006.</ref> On the ] in ], drive fishing of bottlenose dolphins was practiced until 1990, when the practice was outlawed by the government. Mainly ]s but also common bottlenose dolphins were captured in these hunts.<ref>R. R. Reeves, W. F. Perrin, B. L. Taylor, C. S. Baker and S. L. Mesnick (2004), ''Report of the Workshop on Shortcomings of Cetacean Taxonomy in Relation to Needs of Conservation and Management'', page 27, section ''Management of cetacean exploitation''. Article retrieved on 21 October 2006.</ref>


=== United States === === United States ===
{{See also|Whaling in the United States}}

====New England====
] in 1885, and sold for a considerable sum for their oil]]
From 1644 at ], on ], the colonists established an organised whale fishery, chasing ]s ("blackfish") onto the shelving beaches for slaughter. They also processed ]s they found on shore. They observed the Native Americans hunting techniques, improved on their weapons and boats, and then went out to ocean hunting.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Federal Writers' Project|title=Whaling Masters|publisher=Works Progress Administration}}</ref>{{update inline|date=July 2019}}<!-- no longer practiced; when did it stop? -->


==== Hawaii ==== ==== Hawaii ====
In ancient ], fishermen occasionally hunted dolphins for their meat by driving them onto the beach and killing them. In their ancient legal system, dolphin meat was considered to be '']'' (forbidden) for women together with several other kinds of food. Today, dolphin drive hunting no longer takes place in Hawaii.<ref>Earthtrust (year unknown), , article retrieved on June 21, 2008.</ref> In ancient ], fishermen occasionally hunted dolphins for their meat by driving them onto the beach and killing them. In their ancient legal system, dolphin meat was considered to be '']'' (forbidden) for women together with several other kinds of food. As of 2008, dolphin drive hunting no longer takes place in Hawaii.<ref>Earthtrust (year unknown), , article retrieved on 21 June 2008.</ref>


==== Texas ==== ==== Texas ====
Hunting dolphins (at the time still often incorrectly referred to as fish or porpoises), primarily using harpoons and firearms, was considered a form of recreational hunting along the shores of the ] in ] in the late 19th and early 20th century. Pleasure dolphin hunting cruises could be booked in ] in the 1920s, with a promise to tourists that if no successful dolphin kill was made, the excursion would be free of charge.<ref name="Caller">Allison Ehrlich, David Sikes for the Corpus Christi Caller (2011), , article retrieved 9 March 2014.</ref> The brutality of the practice started to spark animal welfare concerns and there is no reference of this practice still occurring in Texas after the ].<ref name="Caller"/><ref>The Galveston Daily News (1936) / Newspaper Archive </ref> Hunting dolphins (at the time still often incorrectly referred to as fish or porpoises), primarily using harpoons and firearms, was considered a form of recreational hunting along the shores of the ] in ] in the late 19th and early 20th century. Pleasure dolphin hunting cruises could be booked in ] in the 1920s, with a promise to tourists that if no successful dolphin kill was made, the excursion would be free of charge.<ref name="Caller">Allison Ehrlich, David Sikes for the Corpus Christi Caller (2011), , article retrieved 9 March 2014.</ref> The brutality of the practice started to spark animal welfare concerns and there is no reference of this practice still occurring in Texas after the ].<ref name="Caller"/><ref>The Galveston Daily News (1936) / Newspaper Archive </ref>


====Washington==== ====Washington====
Drive hunting methods were used to capture Orcas in the ] in the 1960s and 1970s. These hunts were led by aquarium owner and entrepreneur ] and his partner Don Goldsberry. After Edward purchased an Orca that was caught by accident by fishermen in ], ], in 1965, Edward and Don used drive hunting techniques in the Puget Sound area to capture Orcas for the entertainment industry.<ref>] - , article retrieved 19 December 2013.</ref> Others followed and despite the ] the practice continued until 1976 when the state of Washington ordered the release of a number of Orcas that were being held in ] and subsequently banned the practice.<ref>Timothy Egan, The Good Rain: Across Time & Terrain in the Pacific Northwest, page 141.</ref> Drive hunting methods were used to capture orcas in ] in the 1960s and 1970s. These hunts were led by aquarium owner and entrepreneur ] and his partner Don Goldsberry. After Griffin purchased an orca that was caught by accident by fishermen in ], ], in 1965, Griffin and Goldsberry used drive hunting techniques in the Puget Sound area to capture orcas for the entertainment industry.<ref>] - , article retrieved 19 December 2013.</ref> They implemented their new methods for orca capture in their ] in 1967.<ref name=Colby103>{{cite book |last=Colby |first=Jason M. |title=Orca: how we came to know and love the ocean's greatest predator |year=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780190673116 |page=103 }}</ref> Others followed and despite the ] the practice continued until 1976 when the state of Washington ordered the release of a number of orcas that were being held in ] and subsequently banned the practice.<ref>Timothy Egan, The Good Rain: Across Time & Terrain in the Pacific Northwest, page 141.</ref>


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Latest revision as of 22:43, 1 October 2024

Method of hunting dolphins

Dolphin drive hunting, also called dolphin drive fishing, is a method of hunting dolphins and occasionally other small cetaceans by driving them together with boats, usually into a bay or onto a beach. Their escape is prevented by closing off the route to the open sea or ocean with boats and nets. Dolphins are hunted this way in several places around the world including the Solomon Islands, the Faroe Islands, Peru, and Japan, which is the most well-known practitioner of the method. In large numbers dolphins are mostly hunted for their meat; some end up in dolphinariums.

Despite the controversial nature of the hunt resulting in international criticism, and the possible health risk that the often polluted meat causes, tens of thousands of dolphins are caught in drive hunts each year.

Atlantic white-sided dolphin caught in a drive hunt in Hvalba on the Faroe Islands being taken away with a forklift

By country

Faroe Islands

Main article: Whaling in the Faroe Islands
Killed pilot whales on the beach in the village Hvalba on the southernmost Faroese island Suðuroy, August 2002

Whaling in the Faroe Islands takes the form of beaching and slaughtering long-finned pilot whales. It has been practiced since about the time of the first Norse settlements on these North Atlantic islands, and thus can be considered aboriginal whaling. It is mentioned in the Sheep Letter, a Faroese law from 1298, a supplement to the Norwegian Gulating law.

It is closely regulated by the Faroese authorities, with around 800 long-finned pilot whales and some Atlantic white-sided dolphins slaughtered annually; mainly during the summer. The hunts, called grindadráp in Faroese, are non-commercial and are organized on a community level. Anyone who has a special training certificate on slaughtering a pilot whale with the spinal-cord lance can participate. The police and Grindaformenn are allowed to remove people from the grind area. The hunters first surround the pilot whales with a wide semicircle of boats. The boats then drive the pilot whales into a bay or to the bottom of a fjord. Not all bays are certified, and the slaughter will only take place on a certified beach.

Many Faroese consider the whale meat an important part of their food culture and history. Animal rights groups criticize the slaughter as being cruel and unnecessary. In November 2008, Høgni Debes Joensen, chief medical officer of the Faroe Islands and Pál Weihe, scientist, have recommended in a letter to the Faroese government that pilot whales should no longer be considered fit for human consumption because of the high level of mercury, PCB and DDT derivatives. However, the Faroese government did not forbid whaling. On 1 July 2011 the Faroese Food and Veterinary Authority announced their recommendation regarding the safety of eating meat and blubber from the pilot whale, which was not as strict as the one of the chief medical officers. The new recommendation says only one dinner with whale meat and blubber per month, with a special recommendation for younger women, girls, pregnant women and breastfeeding women. From 2002 to 2009 the PCB concentration in whale meat has fallen by 75%, DDT values in the same time period have fallen by 70% and mercury levels have also fallen.

Iceland

Main article: Whaling in Iceland

In mid-1950s, fishermen in Iceland requested assistance from the government to remove killer whales from Icelandic waters as they damaged fishing equipment. With fisheries accounting for 20% of Iceland's employment at the time, the perceived economic impact was significant. The Icelandic government asked the United States for assistance. As a NATO ally with an air base in Iceland, the US Navy deployed Patrol Squadrons VP-18 and VP-7 to achieve this task. According to the US Navy, hundreds of animals were killed with machineguns, rockets and depth charges.

In the late 1970s, after the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the ban on hunting killer whales in Washington in 1976 as discussed later in this article, the hunting of killer whales in Iceland resumed, this time aiming to capture live animals for the entertainment industry. The first two killer whales captured went to Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands. One of these animals was soon after transferred to SeaWorld. These captures continued until 1989 with the additional animals going to SeaWorld, Marineland Antibes, Marineland of Canada, Kamogawa Sea World, Ocean Park Hong Kong, and Conny-Land.

Although commercial whaling does still take place in Icelandic waters today, dolphins are no longer hunted and whale watching is popular amongst tourists.

Japan

Main articles: Taiji dolphin drive hunt and History of dolphin fishing and utilization in Japan See also: Fishing industry in Japan and Whaling in Japan
The fishing village of Taiji

The Taiji dolphin drive hunt captures small cetaceans for their meat and for sale to dolphinariums. Taiji has a long connection to Japanese whaling. The 2009 documentary film The Cove drew international attention to the hunt. Taiji is the only town in Japan where drive hunting still takes place on a large scale. Concern is majority through the methodology of the hunt, as actions are viewed as inhumane. An article by National Geographic refers to The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums' decision to no longer support the Taiji hunt. In 2015, it was announced that there would be a ban in the buying and selling of dolphins through the means of this hunt.

Kiribati

Similar drive hunting existed in Kiribati at least until the mid-20th century.

Peru

Dusky dolphin being skinned on a boat in Peru

Though it is forbidden under Peruvian law to hunt dolphins or eat their meat (sold as chancho marino, or sea pork in English), a large number of dolphins are still killed illegally by fishermen each year. To catch the dolphins, they are driven together with boats and encircled with nets, then harpooned, dragged on to the boat, and clubbed to death if still alive. Various species are hunted, such as the bottlenose and dusky dolphin.

According to estimates from local animal welfare organisation Mundo Azul released in October 2013, between 1,000 and 2,000 dolphins are killed annually for consumption, with a further 5,000 to 15,000 being killed for use as shark bait. Sharks are captured both for their meat and for use of their fins in shark fin soup.

Solomon Islands

Main article: Malaita dolphin drive hunt
Dolphins in a canoe after being killed by locals on the Solomon Islands

Dolphin are hunted in Malaita, in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, mainly for their meat and teeth, and also sometimes for live capture for dolphinariums. The hunt on South Malaita Island is smaller in scale than Tajai. After capture, the meat is shared equally between households. Dolphin teeth are also used in jewelry and as currency on the island.

Taiwan

On the Penghu Islands in Taiwan, drive fishing of bottlenose dolphins was practiced until 1990, when the practice was outlawed by the government. Mainly Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins but also common bottlenose dolphins were captured in these hunts.

United States

See also: Whaling in the United States

New England

1500 pilot whales driven ashore at Cape Cod in 1885, and sold for a considerable sum for their oil

From 1644 at Southampton, New York, on Long Island, the colonists established an organised whale fishery, chasing pilot whales ("blackfish") onto the shelving beaches for slaughter. They also processed drift whales they found on shore. They observed the Native Americans hunting techniques, improved on their weapons and boats, and then went out to ocean hunting.

Hawaii

In ancient Hawaii, fishermen occasionally hunted dolphins for their meat by driving them onto the beach and killing them. In their ancient legal system, dolphin meat was considered to be kapu (forbidden) for women together with several other kinds of food. As of 2008, dolphin drive hunting no longer takes place in Hawaii.

Texas

Hunting dolphins (at the time still often incorrectly referred to as fish or porpoises), primarily using harpoons and firearms, was considered a form of recreational hunting along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas in the late 19th and early 20th century. Pleasure dolphin hunting cruises could be booked in Corpus Christi in the 1920s, with a promise to tourists that if no successful dolphin kill was made, the excursion would be free of charge. The brutality of the practice started to spark animal welfare concerns and there is no reference of this practice still occurring in Texas after the Second World War.

Washington

Drive hunting methods were used to capture orcas in Puget Sound in the 1960s and 1970s. These hunts were led by aquarium owner and entrepreneur Edward "Ted" Griffin and his partner Don Goldsberry. After Griffin purchased an orca that was caught by accident by fishermen in Namu, British Columbia, in 1965, Griffin and Goldsberry used drive hunting techniques in the Puget Sound area to capture orcas for the entertainment industry. They implemented their new methods for orca capture in their Yukon Harbor operation in 1967. Others followed and despite the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 the practice continued until 1976 when the state of Washington ordered the release of a number of orcas that were being held in Budd Inlet and subsequently banned the practice.

See also

References

  1. "Report: 100,000+ Dolphins, Small Whales and Porpoises Slaughtered Globally Each Year". 7 August 2018.
  2. Walker, Harlan (1995). Disappearing Foods: Studies in Foods and Dishes at Risk. Oxford Symposium. ISBN 9780907325628.
  3. ^ logir.fo
  4. Grind | Hagstova Føroya
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