Each year from October through March, tens of thousands of dolphins are brutally slaughtered in Japan. The killings take place in small rural fishing towns such as Taiji, Iki, Ito, Futo, and Izu. During those months, Japanese fishermen herd whole families and pods of dolphins, porpoises, and other small whales into shallow bays and mercilessly hack them to death. Most of these innocent dolphins are sold as meat in restaurants and stores, while some are destined for a life in captivity. This year, the Fisheries Agency in Tokyo has allowed the dolphin slaughter to begin one month early, on September 1, 2007. Worse still, it has increased the official annual quota.
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Toxic Waste for Lunch?
Allison and Danielle
Dolphin meat contains large quantities of methyl mercury, a powerful toxin linked to brain damage, genetic birth defects, and death. The mercury found in dolphin meat is significantly higher than levels that resulted in the deaths of nearly 2,000 people in Minamata, Japan in the 1950s. Contaminated dolphin meat is sold in markets, but even worse is the government-sanctioned feeding of toxic, mercury-contaminated dolphin meat to innocent school children.
Sea Shepherd activists have embarked upon a campaign to bring attention to the imminent threat posed to children by mercury-contaminated dolphin meat and to express concern for the dolphins slaughtered in Japanese waters. The Toxic Lunch campaign began on September 25, 2007 -- Japan Dolphin Day.
"It is a crime to disregard the unnecessary suffering of others....be it animal or human. The world is in a state of emergency, and in order to stop this downward spiral, we must change our selfish perspectives. Our disregard for nature, animals, and life has pulled our ecosystems out of balance, resulting in a global state of tragedy. Now is the time for us all to consider our ways and take responsibility for our actions."
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