The course of Dolphin and Porpoise Hunts in Japan

After the moratorium was established at the IWC in 1986, the price of dolphin meat soared on the market, replacing whale meat as a substitute. In addition to the shift from whales to the dolphins, fishermen who used to be specialized in hand-harpooning spear fish switched over to dolphin hunts, in effect doubling the total dolphin catch. Following the expansion of the dolphin hunt industry, the drastic drop in the dolphin population was an alarming one. The Japanese government and the Fisheries Agency established a registration system for dolphin hunt vessels, moderating the size of the industry. In 1993, the government classified dolphin and whale species into the following categories in an attempt to control catch quota.

Read more: Japanese Dolphin and Porpoise Hunting

Mr.Toshiro Shirasu - Director general, Fisheries Agency
Mr.Hideki Moronuki - Whaling Section, Fisheries Agency

Dolphin hunting will start under the new catch quota on September 1.We have several questions about the new dolphin catch quota that we would like you to answer.

Read more: Open letter about the new dolphin catch quota

IKAN's Message for a website "sha-chi.jp"

which was established to remember the Taiji5 by Japanese citizens

Every year, when I feel the warm sunlight briefly on my skin during a chilly windy day, I remember about the incident at the beach that took place ten years ago.

What my eye were watching seemed too surreal like an excerpt from a movie, but the sound of the baby orca crying struck me as a painful reality, and I was helpless.

"I will return you to the sea..."

Only after four months I made the promise, the little baby orca quietly passed away in an aquarium tank. At the same time, the baby orca's heart-breaking calls touched many people

Read more: We never forget you