Many issues over the past centuries have been plaguing the world and negatively affecting its future. Some influence the human population politically, some economically, and others environmentally. In Taiji, Japan, dolphin hunting has occurred for many, many years and is an issue that contains political, economical, and environmental concerns. Only recently was the proportion of the slaughters and callousness of the hunts discovered, as well as their effect on the earth as a whole. The Taiji dolphin hunts were exposed through the documentary, The Cove, in 2009, and international outrage has not disappeared since. The most shocking discoveries were of the brutality committed against these mammals, the unforeseen damage to ocean ecosystem, and the damage that consuming these animals causes to people’s health. So far, persons have had many different ideas on how to solve this dilemma. They have tried to wage sea battles against fishermen, global laws have been put into place, but neither of these have had enough of an impact. The one solution that has been able to start to successfully put down these hunts is public support awareness.

The Taiji dolphin hunt is an annual event that takes place in the months of September through the end of April. Every year, over 20,000 dolphins, porpoises, and whales are massacred in Taiji alone (Dosomething.org). In 2009, a documentary called The Cove was released containing smuggled footage of some of the coves in Taiji during the hunting season. This film revealed the magnitude of the killing of sea mammals that had gone unnoticed by most of the world’s population for years. Although the outrage against these hunts has only grown, the Japanese government has recently allowed for two new species of dolphin to be hunted: the melon headed whale and the rough-toothed dolphin. These dolphins, along with other breeds and sea mammals, are either captured during drive hunts, or hand-harpooned at first sight. A drive hunt is a method of capturing aquatic animals,  such as dolphins and small whales, by using noisy boats to drive them to the shore. There, the mammals are either captured or killed on sight. This annihilation has been condemned in many places, including the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Pacelle). Many aquariums, however, have left this Association over the years, allowing for dolphins from these hunts to continue being sold. The scale and inhumanity of this butchery has amazed many, and is one of the many reasons why it must be stopped.

Although multiple associations in the world have condemned the dolphin hunts in Taiji, they still continue today, and most likely will for years because of the profit that hunters can make. A dead dolphin is worth $10,000 (US). However, if someone were to take a live dolphin, tame and train it, then it can be worth up to $150,000. With over 20,000 sea mammals being killed each year in Taiji alone, the Japanese must have an extensive market to sell these animals to. This “extensive market” is illegal. The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 states that it is illegal to “possess, transport, sell, offer to sell, buy, import, or export any marine mammal or product made from any marine mammal” (Curnutt). So how are so many of these mammals getting sold? Looking at Japanese stores, The Cove found not only that dolphin meat for sale is extremely rare, but it is also not something that many people eat. So how do these hunters sell the tons of dolphin meat? In Japan whale meat is sold as well, but much more frequently (even though it is illegal). Using DNA testing and identification, scientists found that much of the meat labeled as whale in markets Japanese is actually dolphin. Despite the fact that the way that these mammals are treated is barbaric, the possession, transportation, and selling of these mammals is illegal as well with for a very wide profit margin to those who can obtain them.

In addition to the many unethical conditions of this topic, dolphin hunting also harms the careful balance of the ocean ecosystem. Dolphins generally prey on weaker, older, or ill fish. In this way, they clean up the ocean. With the depletion of dolphins then will come the rise of sickly fish, which are an essential part of many peoples’ diets all over the world. For example, dolphins can eat fish infected with a toxin called ciguatera. If the dolphins do not help to reduce the amount of these infected fish, more people eating that type of fish will likely suffer from food poisoning. Mundo Azule is a Peruvian ecology group that did research on this subject, concluding that killing more dolphins will result in more disease and decreased fish populations. Dolphins also are an essential part of marine research. By taking tissue samples from these mammals, scientists can find the levels of gases, toxins, and other substances that are in the water. Dolphin hunting is a danger to the ocean environment, and more of the human population needs to realize how it affects their own lives (Revermann).

Though people may like the taste of dolphin, it has been scientifically proven that the meat of dolphins is poisonous, and should not be consumed. Regardless of the fact that the way sea mammals are procured is heartless, it is illegal altogether to sell, buy, or possess them, and the hunting is damaging to the ocean balance of life, the meat of dolphins and small whales contains mercury levels that can be twenty to five thousand times higher than recommended by the United Nations World Health Organization and the Japanese Ministry of Health. According to research by Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project, the meat also contains toxins and pollutants like PCBs and cadmium. Mercury poisoning has many effects and is the second most toxic poison in the world. It causes damage to vision, hearing, memory, and thought processes. Mercury poisoning is a very dangerous effect of sea mammal hunting and is yet another reason why the Taiji hunts need to be stopped through public awareness (O’Barry).

Many people have tried to tackle this world wide problem with different solutions. One such solution is making sea mammal hunting illegal. In 1972, as mentioned before, the Marine Mammal Protection Act was put in place. In the year of 1986, the International Whaling Committee banned commercial whaling. Japan, and other countries such as Norway, either found a way around this rule or ignored it blatantly. Japan continues to hunt whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals. They claimed their whale hunting to be “scientific” whaling and for research purposes only, but many different types of whale meat still end up on the market. This was found by conducting DNA tests on meats on sale in Japan (O’Connell). The dolphin hunting in Taiji just hasn’t stopped, but the Japanese government is making a tremendous effort to make it incognito. Visitors in Taiji are not allowed to visit specific places, and are not allowed to film in others. In The Cove, however, secret cameras were used to film in restricted areas, revealing several coves filled with more dolphin blood than seawater. Norway arrantly continues whaling (restrictively) because no one can enforce the rule. Illegal sea mammal hunting is inevitable because there is no one to enforce hunting or handling moratoriums.

Another way that some have tried to tackle this dilemma is by battling at sea. Anti-whaling activist groups have joined together to obtain ships in order to confront and take down fishermen. One such group is Sea Shepherd. This activist group has been waging battles in the ocean for twelve years and has claimed to have saved thousands of mammals. They also claim to have brought a lot of attention to this controversial topic. These battles may seem effective to some, but they cost a lot of money and effort. The people involved essentially go to war with fishermen, which can be dangerous for both parties, especially since this year, the Japanese military got involved. This hunting season Sea Shepherd was unable to participate in its usual assaults because the Japanese government gave fishermen military technology to help avoid groups such as Sea Shepherd. The fishermen were given technology that allowed them to watch Sea Shepherd ships in real time empowering them to easily avoid a confrontation (Perry). If the groups and fishermen were to participate in a “race in arms”, the activists would need government sanctioned technology. If the government allowed for the technology to be distributed and used in this case, the Japanese government could be offended and the situation could become even more complicated. The intricacy of waging battles at sea is too great to serve as an approach to stopping sea mammal hunting.

Many people have already started making others aware of sea mammal hunting and, as a result, activist groups are getting more support to help stop this cruel act. The Cove played an eminent part in beginning to expose the Taiji dolphin hunts. They gave an exclusive, behind the scenes look at how these mammals are captured, killed, and sold as a result of human greed. Many organizations, as a result, have been able to gather information, while referencing this documentary, and start acting to end the hunts. One group called Greenpeace Japan, is an activist group that focuses on more peaceful approaches to end sea mammal hunting. In an analysis of the Taiji Dolphin hunts for the 2017-2018 season, the Marine Mammal Project came to the conclusion of why the number of dolphins captured this year decreased by over one thousand: Bad weather in the beginning of the season kept many hunters away from the ocean for some time, the local population of migrating dolphins has decreased due to past hunting activity over the years, and finally, the awareness of mercury in dolphin meat has decreased the sales of it for the Taiji hunters. The frightening levels of mercury in dolphin meat has amplified public recognition about dolphin hunts which as a result has helped decrease the number of mammals killed in Taiji.

Making sea mammal hunting illegal isn’t enough to stop marine mammal hunting, and battling at sea with fisherman is far too complicated and dangerous for this global issue. However, exposing and raising awareness is a solution that has begun its work already. In addition to having sea mammal hunting be illegal, awareness should be raised about the brutality that these animals are treated with, the threat killing them is imposing on the ocean environment, and the danger of eating them. Some argue that dolphin hunting and such are part of Japanese culture. However, studies show that dolphin hunting was started only forty-nine years ago in 1969 (International Marine Mammal Project). There really is no reason for people to continue hunting these mammals, except for their own profits. Profits, fortunately, have been decreasing because of enlightenment already spreading across the world. People will continue to hunt illegally in the present, but with more people aware of the consequences of the hunting, more will stop purchasing products from these mammals, leading to the launch of the discontinuation of sea mammal hunting altogether. In order to protect the world and the human race, many things about this world need to change, one of which being sea mammal hunting. Without stopping these issues and changing the way that the world looks at them, society will be sacrificing the future. The only way to prolong a decimated world is to spread true knowledge today to make a difference tomorrow.

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