VIDEO. In Japan, hundreds of dolphins crammed into enclosures

Hundreds of dolphins are hiding in the enclosures of Taiji Bay in Japan. “Because of Covid-19, captive dolphins are not sold. Every day, new dolphins are captured, and locked up here. Those not kept for aquariums will be killed“, explains Ren Yabuki, director of the NGO Life Investigation Agency. The cetaceans that accumulate here come from a controversial hunt. As every year, several species of dolphins and other cetaceans are chased by boats until bottom of a bay Some are killed to make meat, others are captured and kept alive in these enclosures.

While a dolphin can sell for $ 500 for its meat, it can fetch between $ 8,000 and $ 12,000 for a dolphinarium. At the end of November, the NGO Life Investigation Agency identified 266 captive cetaceans on the spot. Of these, 47 were directly used in Taiji for performances. Others are usually exported to other countries like China.

Each year, the Japanese Fisheries Agency sets a catch quota to regulate this hunt. For the 2021-2022 season, it amounts to 1,849 cetaceans. For its defenders, this traditional hunt makes it possible to bring income to fishermen and to the city.