Japanese dolphin hunt resumes

The Japanese town at the centre of the dolphin slaughter scandal has begun its annual hunt.

According to BBC and local reports, fishermen in the coastal town of Taiji caught around 100 bottlenose dolphins and 50 pilot whales earlier this week.

Although only the pilot whales were reportedly killed this time, the local fishermen have been given a quota to cull 240 dolphins and whales over the course of the fishing season which runs until the Spring.

The dolphins caught in the hunt were either sold to aquariums or returned to the sea.

The hunting of dolphins and small whales is not illegal under International Whaling Commission (IWC) rules and fishermen say the hunt is a traditional part of their lifestyle.

However, like whale hunting, the dolphin hunt has generated protest from around the world.

Earlier this Summer a documentary team managed to film the capture and slaughter using a high-tech dive team and hidden cameras.

The Cove was the winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Useful links
The Cove film website

See also

• Ocean activists: a look at the people fighting the hunts