Dolphin hunting resumes in Taiji where the sea turns red

The activity has been harshly criticised for it can take up to 30 minutes for the animals to die from asphyxiation or drowning. The authorities have set this year’s quota for killed or captured dolphins at 1,700. For the first time since 1988, Japan has also resumed whale hunting.

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Japan resumed its controversial annual dolphin hunt in the coastal city of Taiji, in the central-southern prefecture of Wakayama.

The method used – fishermen herd the dolphins and small whales into a cove before sealing the area with a net - has received sharp criticism from animal rights groups.

Most animals are slaughtered with knives on the spot, in shallow water, but it can take up to 30 minutes for the animals to die from suffocation or drowning. Some animals are sold alive to aquariums and marine parks.

Before yesterday's hunting season began, local authorities feared protests by international activists. In the end, only ten members of a Japanese animal rights group showed up at the port.

The hunting season will last about six months. To handle the situation, the authorities have set up a temporary police box near the cove, and police officers will be deployed around the area with the Japanese Coast Guard.

The hunt in Taiji has been carried out for decades, but gained global attention when it was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove in 2009.

According to Japanese media, the boats returned to port yesterday without any dolphins.

According to the environmental group The Dolphin Project, five dolphins were killed on Monday. The overall quota for the season allows for more than 1,700 animals to be killed or captured.

Despite international criticism, Japan has also resumed whale hunting for the first time since 1988.

Since restarting commercial whaling in July for the first time in 31 years, the government has set a quota of 53 minke whales through late December; however, it is estimated that this year's hunting could wrap up by the end of September.

• japan
• taiji
• dolphin hunting
• whaling
• minke