Humpback Whale Freed From Fishing Nets

Dolphin Project, in collaboration with Life Investigation Agency, continues to report on the ground in Taiji, Japan, documenting the captive selection and slaughter of dolphins as part of the 2020/21 drive hunts.

On November 29, the all-Japanese team, headed up by Life Investigation Agency (LIA) campaign director Ren Yabuki documented a humpback whale caught in the fishing nets.

Humpback whale trapped in fishing nets, Taiji, Japan. Credit: Life Investigation Agency

Humpback whale trapped in fishing nets, Taiji, Japan. Credit: Life Investigation Agency

Explains Ren:

“Dolphins, orcas and whales get caught in fixed fishing nets all over the world. Penguins, sea turtles, seals and other animals often also become entangled in fishing nets and lose their lives – it’s a global issue.

Two years ago in Taiji, three Pacific white-sided dolphins and one Risso’s dolphin got trapped in these same fishing nets. At the time, dolphin hunters and net fishermen worked together to retrieve these dolphins, took them as captives and put them in sea pens. LIA filed a criminal accusation because this completely violated Japanese law.

Because such a thing had happened before, the fishermen may not know all the laws, and it is possible in the case of this humpback that it could have been killed or taken for the Moriura bay captive facility (“Kujira no umi” or “Whale Sea”). Hoping that these things would not happen, I continued to document.

It was a relief that the humpback whale was released without incident.”

Our team will continue to document and live stream for the duration of the dolphin hunting season. Please follow us on our social media channels for updates.

2020/21 Dolphin Drive Hunt Quota, Taiji, Japan

2020/21 dolphin drive hunt quota, Taiji, Japan

Featured image: Humpback whale trapped in fishing nets, Taiji, Japan. Credit: Life Investigation Agency and DolphinProject.com

RELATED:

Learn more about Dolphin Project’s campaign in Taiji, Japan

Current drive hunt statistics

Make a donation directly to Dolphin Project’s Taiji campaign

Every year from September through March, a notoriously cruel hunt of some of the most sentient creatures on the planet takes place in Taiji, Japan, made famous by the 2009 Academy award-winning movie ‘The Cove’. During this period, dolphin hunters, “drive” the mammals to their capture or deaths via means of physical violence and acoustic torture. Dolphin Project is the only organization to have been on the ground consistently since 2003.