Support dolphin and whale watching in Japan!

Sperm whale in Futo, Izu Peninsula, Japan
photo (c) Izumi Ishii

In the middle of November during our Japan tour, Jenny had a lovely encounter with one of Japan's rare dolphin and whale watch operators; Mr. Izumi Ishii. He is conducting whale watching cruises every day from the beautiful port of Futo, just two hours south of Tokyo by express train, in the Izu peninsula. Futo is also one of Japans top diving resorts with a big variety of reef fish. From Mr. Ishii's vessel several species of dolphins can be spotted such as the bottlenose dolphin, the Pacific white-sided dolphin, the striped dolphin and the pan tropical spotted dolphin.

Bottlenose dolphin
(Photo: Jenny Wilhelms)

Pacific white-sided dolphin
(from video by Izumi Ishii)

Joyous jump in the wild
(from video by Izumi Ishii)

Also several whales can be spotted such as the sperm whale, false killer whale and the killer whale: We saw three beautiful sperm whale females on one of the cruises.

Photo (c) Izumi Ishii

Photo: Jenny Wilhelms

It is a true challenge to conduct dolphin and whale watching in Japan, since Japan is one of the few countries in the world where dolphin hunting still is legal. The Japanese have long traditions of dolphin fisheries and Mr. Ishii is the only fisherman in his area who has had the courage to go against the fishery union, in order to convince them to end the dolphin slaughters, and that dolphins can best be observed in their right element, in the wild. He has succeeded in proving to his fellow fishermen that dolphin watching is more profitable than dolphin fishery, but attitudes are changing very slowly.With the attention from media and marine mammal protection organisations all over the world, the situation has become much better over the past few years but there is still a lot to be done before the fishermen will cease to hunt dolphins like fish.

Futo port

Mr. Ishii on board his vessel, the Kohkaimaru
Photos: Jenny Wilhelms

View of Futo port bay

Ishii-san and Jenny, November 2004 (Photo: Martin Kantola)

Please write a note to Mr. Ishii to express your support for his good and courageous work with the dolphin and whale watch tourism. Every voice is highly appreciated and helps to make a difference. Thank you for your support!
- Jenny

Email to:

Please visit Mr. Ishii's web site for excellent photos and cruise information at:

http://homepage2.nifty.com/KOHKAIMARU/

Help to stop the dolphin slaughters and dolphin parks!

However, the current situation is still far from a peaceful interaction with dolphins. Only a few days before we arrived in Futo, horrible drive fisheries were conducted there again, for the first time in four years! A hundred bottlenose dolphins were brutally drive hunted into the port of Futo. Three dolphins were killed and some died of frustration and injuries. Furthermore, 14 dolphins were caught for amusement parks all over Japan. These drive fisheries are often ordered by the amusement parks and are conducted by the local fishermen. The whole port was closed from visitors this day, in hopes that no pictures would reach the public. This is said to be the last hunt this season and there has been regulations for the fishery, but they are still allowed to kill 600 dolphins each year in Futo.

Dolphin drive hunt 11.11.2004

The animals are panicking
from the loud sound...

...and are forced into
very narrow spaces...

...many get hurt during
the hunt that lasts for a
whole day and night

The animals suffer hugely as they are chased towards the port, surrounded by boats where the fishermen are making a horrible noise that confuses the dolphins echolocation system. After a whole night of exhaustion the water is filled with blood and the dolphin trainers arrive in the morning to pick the best animals for the parks, among those who survive... This is how the dolphins we see in our aquariums are caught.

Butchering and captivation in process, note the color of the water
Photos: Yoshiyasu Mizuno

A few days later we found three of the captured dolphins in the nearest dolphin park "Ito Dolphin Fantasy" in the Ito city port. They have now replaced the previous three dolphins that died after only four years in the park. The trainers appear to be dolphin lovers, but keep very quiet about these violent captivation operations that they support.

Three wild dolphins captured
in the Futo hunt. They are still in
distress and avoid the trainers.

One of them has got a
broken dorsal fin...

(Photos by Jenny Wilhelms)

...but their trainers claim that they
are only saving the dolphins from
the dangers of the sea.

Please help to stop the brutal dolphin drive fisheries in Futo, Japan by sending an email to the Fishery Cooperation of Ito and Futo, The Fisheries Agency, The Fisheries Section of Shizuoka prefecture, The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Prime Minister Office in Japan. The protests from international sources has helped before, your voice can make a difference in the attempt to stop the commercial whaling maintained by the dolphin amusement parks and dolphin swim programmes of Japan. Thank you for your support!

Send an email

Please write your name and address after the text in the mail in order to sustain the credibility of the mission. The information will only be displayed to the recepients. Thank you!

Dear Sirs,

I want to express my concern regarding the drive hunts of dolphins in Japan. I am shocked to hear that drive hunts took place in Futo on the 11th of November 2004. To keep these highly intelligent and socially developed animals in distress for days and having them swimming in their own blood during the butcheries and capture is a most cruel act. The complex behaviour of dolphins can best be observed and studied in the wild, not in amusement parks. The death of three dolphins in the Ito Dolphin Fantasy is the latest proof of this. Dolphin and whale watching in the wild is a popular and continuously growing part of the tourism industry worldwide, and a far more profitable business than dolphin hunting. Mr. Izumi Ishii in Futo is an outstanding example and proof of that whale and dolphin watching is a profitable business that can be developed furthermore in Japan as well. The hunting severely harms the developments of the dolphin watching industry in Japan. I respectfully ask for Your attention to this issue, and kindly ask You to revalue Your interests regarding dolphin hunting and captivation, and to put an end to all drive hunts. I strongly oppose to the brutal captures of dolphins for the amusement parks, and call for an immediate end to all drive hunts. Thank You for taking the time to read this request.

Sincerely,
(your name & address here)

Please click here to email to the Ito Fishing Cooperation

Please click here to email to the Fisheries Agency

Please click here to email to The Fisheries Section of Shizuoka prefecture

Please click here to email to The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Please click here to email to The Prime Minister Office in Japan

Please click here to email to The Ito Fishing Cooperation, Futo division