Former Japanese Dolphin Hunter Now Stands Up for Dolphins as an Activist

Ever since Taiji’s dolphin hunt was brought to light, thanks in part to the Oceanic Preservation Society’s Academy Award-winning documentary, “The Cove,” there has been nearly non-stop international outrage. Still, the hunt continues year after year, but now Izui Ishii, a former Japanese dolphin hunter, is trying to change this sad fact.

For decades, Ishii hunted dolphins but grew “conflicted” about the mass slaughter as time went on. He has stated that dolphins are “highly intelligent mammals” and that they “offered no resistance when captured and refused to bit him even while he was cutting their throats,” as reported by The Japan Times.

Ishii recently “joined hands” with dolphin advocate and former Flipper trainer Ric O’Barry when they came together for a presentation at Tokyo’s Temple University where they spoke out against the long held notion that the drive hunt is a “cultural practice spanning hundreds of years.”

Ishii stated that Taiji fishermen were taught how to hunt dolphins through large-scale drives back in 1969, effectively disproving the government-held position that the hunt is a “tradition.” He believes that he will be able to “persuade the government to stop submitting quotas for slaughtering dolphins in the annual hunts,” reports The Japan Times.

In order to do so, Ishii plans to run a large signature campaign and submit the collected signatures to the Fisheries Agency to urge them to halt the annual dolphin slaughter.

Ishii will certainly become a key voice in the fight for dolphin protection in Japan, and with our help, we can stand with him and continue to place pressure on the Japanese government to stop the cruel dolphin slaughter and round-up once and for all. Find out how you can take action for Taiji’s dolphins right here.

Image source: Boyd Harnell / Japan Times