About 200 Dolphins Captured as Taiji Hunting Season Begins
The traditional whale and dolphin drive hunt in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, opened for the season on September 1, with fishermen capturing about 200 bottlenose dolphins during the first hunt. (News On Japan)
Wakayama - The traditional whale and dolphin drive hunt began in Taiji on September 1, with fishermen capturing approximately 200 bottlenose dolphins during the inaugural hunt. Around 5 a.m., fishermen set off in nine boats to commence the season. Anti-whaling activists were spotted nearby, holding signs, but no significant disturbances occurred.
Drive hunting is a conventional fishing technique involving boats encircling groups of whales or dolphins migrating offshore, driving them into a cove where they are captured. During the first hunt, a pod of bottlenose dolphins was located around 20 kilometers offshore, and roughly 200 of them were driven into a cove before being captured. The drive-hunting season is planned to continue until the end of April 2027.
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