Tag Archives: Animals

Dolphin Season opens in Taiji, Japan

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Photo by: Jesslee Cuizon

News of Japan’s dolphin hunting season seems to be everywhere this week, but here’s a quick rundown for those who’ve missed out.

Japanese “fisherman” catch thousands of dolphins of which a small number are sold to aquariums and theme parks like Sea World.  They butcher the rest of the catch and sell it as seafood.  (The six-month season, which started September 1st, claims an average of over 20,000 dolphins annually.)  Dolphins have unsafe concentrations of mercury in their bodies due to sitting at the top of their food chain.  This makes the meat unsafe to eat, as well as being highly unethical to most. Continue reading →