Dolphin slaughter/human mercury poisoning

Divisadero

So I wonder if any of you have ever seen the Oscar winning documentary The Cove which aired again recently on Irish/U.K. TV. The main focus is the hidden horrific mass slaughter of Dolphins in the fishing village of Taijii, Japan. Conservationists and Animal Welfare advocates will come close to a breakdown after watching the unnecessary cruelty exposed in the film as the whole sea turns deep red due to the most painful slaughter of large numbers of dolphins. Somewhat ironically the movie is also highly entertaining in parts and is akin to a James Bond movie as the filmmakers play a cat and mouse game with the Japanese police and fisherman trying to access the cove to film the slaughter. However a more direct impact on the Japanese especially their children is the fact that the Dolphin meat is being marketed as whale meat with mercury limits far higher than those approved by the Japanese government (as confirmed by Japanese scientists in the film). It seems that most Japanese citizens are unaware of this practice, the levels are so high that some believe that they could lead to the return of the horrific Minamata disease in Japanese children.

Those of you still reading this post may say so what has this to do with me?! The truth is that I am particularly directing this at anyone with friends/contacts in Japan. As it so happens just as I finished watching the film last night I received a confirmation e-mail from a retailer in Japan. I was so worked up after watching the documentary that I decided to send him an e-mail including a link to the Japanese section of the film's website! Needless to say I tried to carefully word the e-mail as I did not wish to sound as if I was in any way criticising Japan or its people (by the way the film stresses that most Japanese are unaware of the slaughter taking place in their own country).

I was not sure if I would receive a positive or indeed any response but today I received what seemed a most genuine and appreciative e-mail from him. He explained that he had heard something of the film but that it was being misrepresented by the Japanese government. However, he had no idea about the mercury issue until he received my e-mail and said he would e-mail his contacts directing them to the site and would probably also blog on the issue. Yes, he may have been humouring me as I am a customer but he seemed very genuine. As the film explained and as he confirmed most people in Japan are firstly mostly unaware of the slaughter in Taijii and secondly completely unaware of the mercury issue.

I feel very strongly about this and believe that anyone with Japanese friends or contacts in Japan are in a unique position to do their 'little bit' if they wish to do so. You may actually be doing them a real favour as even if they have no interest in animal welfare or conservation the health of their family should be an entirely different matter.

Sorry for being so longwinded and I also apologise if this sounds preachy as that is not my intention, but as you would probably agree if you are going to rely on governments or bureaucratic bodies to fix this problem it will never happen. It is so easy to be cynical but as the situation in the Gulf has demonstrated people power can make a difference via the use of social media. I include a link to the Cove website if any of you want more information (I think you can also download the Japanese version of the movie free of charge from here if you are in the U.S.). Finally, I also include a link to the Japanese version of the site if any of you are indeed interested and/or comfortable with following my example. Regardless, it is definitely a film worth seeing on DVD or via the website if you get a chance.

Many thanks,

W


http://www.thecovemovie.com/

http://www.thecovemovie.com/jp

opinion guy

Thanks for posting this

CJhaughey

To be honest I think this won't be a pressing concern in Japan for a while.

Divisadero

CJhaughey wrote: »

To be honest I think this won't be a pressing concern in Japan for a while.

Yes, understatement of the century CJ! I started this thread about a week ago, before the horrific earthhquake/tsunami hit Japan.

djdrobins

While Japan is in trouble now, and our concerns should be with the people - it is now that a change should be introduced. If not, the people of Tajii will only start back into their old ways.
I have been aware of "The Cove" for a few years now - this is not the only place on the planet that this sort of torture and murder occurs.
The (I say this with a clenched fist and grinding teeth) fishermen, of Tajii have a chance here, to rebuild their village but also a chance to benefit from their natural resource without killing the dolphins - these dolphins pass by the bay every year, if they created a tourism attraction, and invited people to come and witness these amazing animals, setting up boat trips out to see these animals in their natural environment, they could create a more positive feeling for the area and also all the local amenities (and at the same time they would protect the dolphins and the area as it would maintain their livelihood - it is an amazing part of the world, when the water isn't turning red!!

djpbarry

Divisadero wrote: »

...a more direct impact on the Japanese especially their children is the fact that the Dolphin meat is being marketed as whale meat with mercury limits far higher than those approved by the Japanese government (as confirmed by Japanese scientists in the film). It seems that most Japanese citizens are unaware of this practice, the levels are so high that some believe that they could lead to the return of the horrific Minamata disease in Japanese children

Do you have a source for this (other than the movie)?

opinion guy

djpbarry wrote: »

Do you have a source for this (other than the movie)?

Some links here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiji,_Wakayama#Mercury_concentration_in_the_hair_of_Taiji_inhabitants

opinion guy

lol....

Taiji resident wrote:

"Some foreigners criticize us, but whale and dolphin (to us) are like beef and chicken for them. It's just our culture," he said.

Who knew South Park were so accurate!!!

djpbarry

opinion guy wrote: »

Some links here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiji,_Wakayama#Mercury_concentration_in_the_hair_of_Taiji_inhabitants

Ok, so it seems that there's a correlation, but no confirmed link as yet?

opinion guy

So actually this is kind of interesting.

I can't find the actual paper this work is based on - its possibly not published in English. In any case from the various news reports etc it seems that the found levels of mercury in Taiji residents higher than levels that should cause neurotoxicity. BUT - the residents don't show neurotoxicity and the researchers are at a loss to explain why.

Interesting......