Taiji Dolphin industry

[Tim Roberts]

I wanted to know what people think about the Taiji live export and meat industry. Do you know that they cruelly capture live dolphins for export to dolphin shows for entertainment, then they slaughter many times more for their meat. Do you know if your local restaurant serves dolphin meat?

If you want to understand more about it:

On twitter: @CoveGuardians
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeaShepherdCoveGuardiansOfficialPage?fref=ts
On the web: Taiji Dolphin Defense|Another EZ EARTH NETWORK site (Please be aware this site contains live streaming that may capture disturbing and graphic scenes)


If you are concerned about what is happening, please get involved and tell your friends.

---------- Post added at 13:44 ---------- Previous post was at 13:25 ----------

Did you know that dolphin meat is poisonous to humans? It contains very high amounts of mercury in it, which leads to chronic illness and death.

 

[thomas]

I have never seen dolphin meat anywhere around my area, not in supermarkets, not in restaurants. Mind that the vast majority of Japanese prefer pork and beef over whale and dolphin meat and - in most cases - haven't even tried it.

On the other hand, the perception of the Sea Shepherd organization being rather extremist is quite common here, too, and perhaps not completely unfounded.

 

[Tim Roberts]

What do you think about other people trying it? What do you think about the thousands upon thousands of dolphins they capture and cull every year?

Take a look at this short video:

 

[Tim Roberts]

I know Sea Shephard have held a few non-violent protests a few times.. not extremist, and for a reason i would think!

 

[Mike Cash]

Did you know that dolphin meat is poisonous to humans? It contains very high amounts of mercury in it, which leads to chronic illness and death.

Peach kernels contain hydrocyanic (or prussic) acid, and are dangerous nutriment. Fifteen hundred of them taken on an empty stomach will kill a man.

-- Mark Twain --

 

[Tim Roberts]

I am certainly not about to ingest a can of hydrocyanic acid. A meal taken once a week with dolphin can kill you in as little as 1 month! That is scientific fact! It's not viable for human consumption. Like you're gonna tell me any reasonable person would sit down and eat 1500 peach kernels?

 

[Mike Cash]

Congratulations on having made it this far in life despite the handicap of not having a sense of humor.

Are you telling me any reasonable person would sit down and eat one peach kernel?

 

[Tim Roberts]

Congratulations on having made it this far in life despite the handicap of not having a sense of humor.
Are you telling me any reasonable person would sit down and eat one peach kernel?

I know it's obvious, but some people are idiots. I kind of figured you weren't one of them. Its been a bad day at the cove, 200 dolphins will be slaughtered tomorrow. The fact that it still happens makes me think there are many idiots. My sense of humour has waned a bit today i'll admit. I came on here because i wanted to know what people who live in japan think about it, and why they haven't put a stop to it, or even if people in Japan are aware of it happening. If lack of awareness aint driving it, then it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
Besides that, the dolphin meat is only part of the problem. The live export of dolphins to dolphin shows is what keeps the Taiji slaughter alive. Each captive dolphin brings between USD$35 and USD$100K, where a dolphin for meat brings only around USD$2000, but they kill ALL of the dolphins they catch in huge numbers. They are relying on ignorance to keep their greed alive. One of the problems is that activists are pretty much the only source of awareness, and Japan's government seems intent on keeping it hidden. I cannot understand why that is. There is no other developed nation in the world that would allow this to continue. If it is going to change, then either huge international pressure will need to be applied, which will eventually happen. But, while many thousands more of these majestic animals are slaughtered, the only way it will change is from within the Japanese community.

 

[Tsuchi1]

I think in all cultures people treat animals (food) inhumanly.
You can't just single out a group of people and say their way of doing it is worse than what your own culture does.
Kangaroos in Australia, sheep in New Zealand and take a careful look at the beef and grain industry in the US and you probably wouldn't want to eat beef again.

I'm not interested in eating Dolphin or whale meat and the people who do eat it should look at the heavy metal contents of those foods and rethink, not only for themselves but their kids.

We can not blame Japan for the almost hunted to extinction of some species of whales because it was a world wide effort by the desire to have fuel, perfume, soap etc.

Yes some of it is political and Japan shouldn't hide under the protection of scientific research because that's arrogant.
Anyway there's my 2 cents worth

 

[Tim Roberts]

No i agree with you there.. Australia hunts Kangaroo, but they do not have any industry behind it, it is just single person hunting and pretty much all of it is humane. The sport of Kangaroo killing has died in Australia. I don't pretend to know the workings of Japanese culture, government or public policy or any relationship between them. But, both Dolphin and Whale hunting, let alone mass killing have been condemned by almost every developed nation, and many developing countries also, yet Japanese government officials and public policy persists in allowing it. You can surely understand why people from all over the world are asking why? The meat is not even fit for human consumption, its deadly. I don't blame Japan for the extinction of whales and near extinction of many others. But they are not sending a good message to the world with the likes of Taiji fishermen allowed to operate without restriction, let alone the manner in which they do it. Have you seen what happens when they drive them into the cove for killing?

There will be a livestream at the link provided at the top of this post, tomorrow. I challenge you to watch it and then tell us you don't think anything should be done about it.

 

[Mike Cash]

Could you tell me where in Japan I can purchase dolphin meat?

 

[Tim Roberts]

I was hoping you could tell me! You don't want me to grow a sense of humour do you? How would i know, i don't live there... but if you found a place, would you tell people about it? All the world knows outside of Japan is that Taiji has several Dolphin meat purchasers [video footage available], but that a great deal of it goes to other parts of Japan and other places of the world. The world is both a long straight road and a pretty big round-about if you want to think about it. I don't think where you buy the meat is as important as shutting down the Taiji operation and its opportunity to distribute it. How do you track it when its gone?

Actually, the Taiji trade is being tracked, but they estimate at least 10 years before they know the supply chain. Feels like a drug war? Well, maybe i wouldn't say that!

---------- Post added at 01:17 ---------- Previous post was at 01:14 ----------

Are you not worried that if Japan does not solve this problem internally, and the global community does, that your so-called shame will remain forever? I suppose it doesnt matter..

 

[Tim Roberts]

You DO realise that the world has been watching the events of Taiji for some time now? Thousands of TV, Radio and Print stories have aired on it globally in the past few years, and after the events of this week, there are going to be many more. I am trying not to convince myself that the Japanese are the only ones that are unaware of the massacre that goes on, and yes, i think you can safely say that the slaughter of a thousand dolphins in just one week is a massacre. I am having a hard time believing that! The rest of the world continues to look on in horror, yet the Japanese community seem blissfully ignorant of it. Why is that do you think? WE.. can't change this, only YOU can. This US and THEM mentality exists precisely because of things like this.

The #1 thing you can do to stop this is to refuse to support dolphinarium shows for entertainment. Do your research, and if you are serious about it, Lobby them and tell them not to partake in the inhumane slaughter of dolphins. They need to be told that YOU and YOU and YOU.. refuse to support it, and that they can't hide from it any more. There are links at the top of this thread if you want to find out more, and WE hope that YOU do.

 

[Mike Cash]

I do live in Japan and I have never seen dolphin meat for sale nor even heard of anyone eating it. I know where I can go to get whale meat, and I have many times seen the whaling ships unloading at the docks in Tokyo.

No, I do not and will not feel any sense of shame or guilt one way or the other about who stops the hunt. I'll go you one better than that....I just plain old-fashioned don't give a damn about it.

 

[Tim Roberts]

Listen, i know its tempting to accuse other nations of doing no better with their own failings, and i implore you to do that, but do you know what happens when that is your only reason for action??? NOTHING! Bubcus, nada! Do you know what happens when you fix the problem you face??? EVERYTHING! Becoz other nations can no longer play that game.. and the Taiji slaughters are a pretty EPIC! fail.

Well you said it.. you don't give a damn about it! At least you're honest.

 

[Mike Cash]

I didn't accuse any nation of anything, and I'm getting the idea you're under the mistaken assumption that I am Japanese.

I am a very compassionate person, but I reserve the right to choose the distribution of my compassion, and the Taiji dolphins just aren't on the list. Do you get this worked up over cows and pigs? Chickens?

 

[Tim Roberts]

I am not under any such mistaken assumption.

 

[Mike Cash]

Good enough, just wanted to make sure we're on the same page.

 

[Tim Roberts]

The Taiji murderers have captured 60 dolphins for live export. That is enough profit to sustain them for 2 years.. The math is correct! Please stop this! YOU.. can.

 

[Mike Cash]

I used to haul processed meat out of slaughterhouse in rural northern Alabama that is just one of many that supply the meat for Chicken McNuggets.

They kill one million chickens....each week.

Sixty dolphin deaths is a tragedy, but a hundred million chicken deaths is a statistic ???

Where is your sense of proportion?

 

[Tim Roberts]

So kill more dolphins and whales then it will all make perfect sense!

 

[Mike Cash]

Nice cop-out.

 

[Tim Roberts]

Yah! I heard a noise in my car, so i turned the radio up.. U?

 

[Mike Cash]

I took a nap a dreamed of dolphin steaks.

 

[Tim Roberts]

Look, if we start talking about chicken McNuggets, there is nothing to stop us talking about anything else at all. Then someone will try and convince me that i need to know everything about everything, and since i don't, it will mean we should eat as many McNuggets as we can. This is what stops people from taking action. You have to choose the battles that matter to you at a time when they matter most, because you obviously can't solve every problem. This is a problem that can, and needs to be solved soon. Preferably yesterday!

Yah! Enjoy your McDolphin! Let me know how that goes.