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Campaign to end Dolphin Slaughter in Japan

ABOUT THE DOLPHIN | BLUEVOICE.ORG | PROJECTS HOME

Who are they, and what are they doing?
BlueVoice.org uses the power of streaming video and internet technology to preserve and protect the oceans. BlueVoice.org has been campaigning in Japan for more than twenty years to end the brutal killing of dolphins there. Japanese fisherman kill dolphins, both to eliminate them as competition for fish and to sell as meat. They often disguise the dolphins as whale meat. Another reason to stop the killing is that whale and dolphin meat are loaded with heavy metals and other toxic chemicals, but their main reason is that killing sentient and highly intelligent creatures such as dolphins is brutal and inhumane. In 1980 BlueVoice.org filmed the killing of dolphins in Iki, Japan and the footage, which was broadcast around the world, caused such a storm of protest that Japan restricted the killing of dolphins. More recently, a Japanese activist provided footage of a massacre of bottlenose dolphins at Futo, Japan. Hardy Jones appeared on the CBS Evening news and in many local newscasts to describe the event. Again there was an international storm of protest.

How are they doing this?
Dolphin

Their efforts to end the killing of dolphins involve sending agents with videocams into Japanese fishing villages. If there is a dolphin massacre they videotape it and distribute it to the news media and now to the internet. BlueVoice.org is developing the capability to do live webcasting, which will confront the fishermen with the option to release the dolphins or be webcast live around the world.

How much does this cost? Dolphin
It costs them about $6,000 to send someone from the United States to Japan to patrol the villages for ten days. Using local people, a network BlueVoice.org is rapidly building, costs less. Other costs are digital video cams, laptop computers, editing software, and building the capability for live webcasts. There are also costs associated with digitizing and reproducing the video for news media and costs of building out the BlueVoice.org web site.

What are the obstacles?
The biggest obstacle from their point of view is raising funds. On the other hand, the obstacle is generating enough worldwide media so the Japanese feel they cannot continue with this behavior. Another obstacle is the international aquarium industry, which pays the fishermen to bring in dolphins thus generating many of the dolphin hunts.

What is the next step?
Dolphin BlueVoice.org will launch a team to Japan later this year to make it known that they are moving around Japan with video cams and that they have local allies. It is their hope that by letting the fishermen know they are being watched they will not undertake these dreadful killings.