| Dolphins are at the top of the must-see list | | | | their tails and sold to marine parks. |
| for tourists and residents alike. Aquariums | | | | |
| and marine parks are traditional tourist | | | | The aquarium industry offers thousands of |
| destinations all over the world. Everyone | | | | dollars for these few prime specimen, thus |
| has happy childhood memories of family | | | | subsidizing the annual dolphin kill. This is |
| outings for birthday parties at the local | | | | a dark and dirty little secret that few |
| aquarium. If the tourists that flock there | | | | people know about and nobody really wants to |
| really knew where the dolphins came from and | | | | publicize. On its own, dolphin meat does not |
| how they have been caught, I am sure they not | | | | generate enough income to be a viable industy |
| be patronize these businesses so avidly. | | | | because of the high levels of mercury it |
| | | | contains. However, while the aquarium |
| Every year, from September to April, Japanese | | | | industry continues to offer thousands of |
| fishermen hunt and kill thousands of dolphins | | | | dollars for the few captured dolphins, the |
| as a substitute for whale meat. In Taiji Bay | | | | violent slaughter for dolphin meat in Japan |
| Japan, at least 2,000 dolphins are | | | | continues with this huge subsidy from |
| slaughtered for meat annually with the prize | | | | aquariums all over the world. Thousands of |
| specimens sold to aquariums worldwide. A | | | | innocent dolphins continue to die horrible |
| prime specimen of a live dolphin is worth | | | | deaths at Japanese beaches and bays, while |
| more than $40,000. Japanese fishermen search | | | | the uninformed public applaud the few seen |
| for a pods of dolphins in samll boats. Once | | | | jumping and dancing in aquariums. |
| located, they beat the water with long metal | | | | |
| poles, creating a wall of sound that | | | | Patronizing aquariums where that purchase |
| interferes with the dolphins' sonar | | | | dolphin from the Japanese is supporting this |
| navigation. As the dolphins agitatedly swim | | | | barbaric practice. |
| away from the sound, the fishermen maneuver | | | | |
| their boats and herd the pod of dolphins into | | | | What can you do about it? Send a letter, |
| a bay enclosed with nets. Once trapped in the | | | | e-mail or fax to the Prime Minister of Japan, |
| bay, they are stabbed with spears and knives, | | | | the Minister of Fisheries, your local embassy |
| then left slowly to bleed to death. The water | | | | or consulate and other Japanese officials to |
| literally turns red from the violent | | | | let them know that this barbaric slaughter is |
| slaughter. A few "lucky" ones are hauled out | | | | unacceptable. |
| of shore with ropes that are tied around | | | | |