The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

"It is indeed these captures and the traffic in captive dolphins from Taiji, from the Cove, that is the economic underpinning of the dolphin slaughter."--Ric O'Barry (HEPCA Dolphin Awareness Night, October 3, 2010)

The Cove

Three weeks from today I leave for Taiji, Japan.  For those of you reading this who have no idea what that means, let me sum it up in two words...dolphin slaughter.  That's right, in Taiji, killing dolphins is big business.  Nearly 2,000 dolphins will be slaughtered in Taiji between September and March.  Capturing wild dolphins and selling them to dolphinariums and swim with dolphin programs is even bigger business.  While one dead dolphin can bring in $600, a live show dolphin can fetch upwards of $150,000.  It's not hard to figure out how precious these mammals are to the 26 fishermen who cherry pick the Japanese coastline, just waiting for the next pod of innocent dolphins to swim by.  

The dolphins are "driven" into a cove by twelve banger boats.  The banger boats get their name from the technique of placing a long, metal pole into the ocean and banging on it with a hammer.  This banging creates a wall of sound that scares the dolphins, forcing them to change course and that's when the drive begins.  The dolphins are driven towards a cove that, oddly enough, is immediately adjacent to a public beach.  Sometimes the dolphins manage to escape the fishermen, and sometimes they don't.  By the time the dolphins have reached the Cove, they are completely exhausted, confused and scared.  The fishermen then drop nets into the water and seal off any possibility of escape for the dolphins.

Dolphins in the Cove

Enter the trainers.  Yep, dolphin trainers.  Now, one might think these folks love the dolphins.  And if you ask them, they'll tell you that they do.  That they have a dolphin's best interest at heart.  How could they not?  The dolphins they're about to scout could be worth $150,000 each...remember?  These trainers are driven (not like the dolphins, though) by the same fishermen into the Cove, so they can start the selection process.  The trainers will get into the water with the dolphins, and physically handle the dolphins in a way that is similar to wrestling a steer.  In fact, dolphins have drowned at the hands of these trainers.  It's like that because the dolphins don't want to be handled, and they struggle to free themselves from the trainers and fishermen.  They're wild dolphins, used to swimming miles and miles everyday in the open ocean.  Compared to the ocean, the Cove is like a fish tank.  But, the Cove is like an ocean compared to the actual fish tank that awaits the ones that are selected.  Once selected, the dolphins are taken by skiff, sometimes in a sling, sometimes literally in the skiff, to holding pens in Taiji Harbor. They're transferred to holding pens, and there they wait.  They wait to be loaded onto a truck, then maybe an airplane, and they're sent to countries all over the world.  A mammal that is supposed to be swimming free in the ocean, is transported in a truck, or the cargo hold of an airplane.  Think about that.   

Back to the Cove... 

The Cove runs red with innocent blood

The dolphins that have not been chosen for a life of captivity and exploitation, well, theirs' is a different fate.  A reasonable person would think, "Okay, the trainers got their pick.  Now, the unlucky ones can be released back out to sea and run the risk of being caught up in a tuna net or long line.  Gee, those dolphins that got picked are lucky!"  Well, there really are no lucky ones this day, or any day there's a pod in the Cove.  You see, the dolphins that aren't selected by the trainers aren't released back out to sea...they're slaughtered.  They're forced further up into the Cove, and a metal spike is driven and twisted into the spine of the dolphin.  According to the fishermen, this kills the dolphin in a humane way.  Believe me when I tell you, there is nothing that appears humane when you see footage of a slaughter.  This is when the Cove begins to run red.  Males, pregnant females, calves...it doesn't matter.  All are targets of the fishermen, all become victims of the slaughter.  The dolphins are then either tied to the skiffs by their flukes, sometimes still splashing and flailing because they are not yet dead (and they end up drowning), or they're loaded into the skiff and taken to a gutting barge parked just outside the Cove.  There, the fishermen open up the dolphins and remove the guts, dumping the guts overboard into the sea.  Eventually, the dolphins are taken to the butcher house, where they are carved up for their mercury-tainted meat.  

The blue tarps hide the "tradition"

The fishermen and other supporters of the slaughter give different reasons for its continued existence.  Most notably, tradition and pest control.  Yeah, you heard me right, pest control.  The fishermen, and the government, claim that the dolphins are infringing on the fish stocks.  They actually view the dolphins as competition for fish.  In fact, the fishermen in Taiji consider the dolphins as fish.  To them, they're just herding, slaughtering and gutting fish.  No problem with that, right?  

The thing is, dolphins aren't fish...they're mammals.  A dolphin holds its breath underwater, and must come to the surface for air, just like us.  Every breath they take is a conscious breath. Let me say that again...every breath a dolphin takes is a conscious breath.  They are complex, social creatures that are incredibly self-aware, exhibit non-human intelligence, and rely on their pod, their family, for their existence.  Calves rely on their mothers for nourishment, just like a newborn human relies on its mother.  When a pod is herded into the Cove, that family bond is ripped apart.  They are literally forced to watch their family members either taken away or slaughtered in front of their very eyes.  All the while waiting for their turn. 

And now, I wait for my time at the Cove.  To work alongside passionate, caring people from all over the world, all brought together with the same goal...to help save dolphins.  There are many fronts to ending this slaughter, and it won't happen overnight.  Dialogue is key, and their must be viable solutions for the future of Taiji.  Some activists view it as an animal rights issue, some see it as an ecological threat to our oceans and planet, and others point to the incredibly toxic levels of mercury in the dolphin meat that is sold.  Imagine going to the grocery store, and the meat you purchase is knowingly contaminated with the most toxic non-radioactive element in the world!  For me, I particularly don't like the exploitation that is occurring, the cruel acts, the blatant disregard for another life.  I know I mention money quite a bit, that it might seem I view money as the cause of what's happening in Taiji.  But money isn't the cause, it's people.  Greedy people who only see the dollar signs.  And why do they see dollar signs?...because people love dolphins.  In my hometown, dolphin statues adorn many business fronts.  People see dolphins as happy, caring, magnificent creatures swimming and playing in the ocean.  Every summer, when people at Virginia Beach spot a pod of dolphins swimming close to shore, many stop to watch or even attempt to swim or paddle out, hoping for that chance encounter.  Hoping that the dolphins will notice them and approach with the same curiosity and affection.  What if Taiji became a place that people from all over the world visited to not only marvel in the picturesque coastline, but to watch dolphins swim and play in their natural habitat?  A place where people would look upon the Cove as a reminder of what we shouldn't do as a species, and realize that, sometimes, so-called traditions need to change. 

Academy Award Best Feature Length Documentary

It's impossible to tackle this issue in one blog post.  For some of you reading this, it's Taiji Slaughter 101.  For those unfamiliar with this issue, I hope you check back in for the updates, maybe even subscribe to the feed.  I've painted a pretty broad picture, but it's in the details that will guide this discussion.  So, I encourage you to make respectful comments, ask questions, and post information you've collected.  If you have not yet done so, please watch the documentary The Cove.  I've posted an excerpt from The Cove on my Vimeo channel that gives a brief introduction to what I've been talking about.  Also, and I can't stress this enough, DO NOT buy a ticket to any facility or program that advertises captive dolphins.  You have to see dolphins in the wild to understand why captivity doesn't work.  You are not being educated when you watch a dolphin jump through a hoop, drag a "trainer" around a swimming pool by their fin, and then get rewarded with a dead fish.  But many of these places hide behind the veil of research, education and conservation.  When you support these places, you are rewarding bad behavior.  You are rewarding the fishermen in Taiji!

Support the Cove Guardians

My goal in Taiji is to document what happens at the Cove, to educate people in Japan and around the world as to what is taking place, and to let the fishermen know that this is unacceptable.  Believe it or not, a lot of people in Japan (even Taiji!) are unaware this slaughter is happening.  The fishermen, though, have been reading peoples' blogs, following social media, and watching videos of the slaughter posted on YouTube.  They know the world is watching, and waiting...