Taiji hunters allowed to kill more whales and dolphins
Fishermen hunting whales and dolphins in Taiji, Japan have been allowed to increase the number of both melon-headed whales and rough-toothed dolphins only mid-way through the hunting season.
Both species were new to the list of those allowed to be caught in the 2017 hunt but the numbers caught already have reached the initial quota levels, so the government have agreed to raise the limit.
An additional 7 rough-toothed dolphins and an additional 100 melon-headed whales will be allowed to be slaughtered, most for sale on the open market.
The dolphin drive hunts in Taiji run from September to April and involve the corralling of dolphins at sea by small boats and driving them into the confines of a cove where they are slaughtered for meat or kept alive for sale to marine parks and aquaria across the globe. The sale price of a live bottlenose dolphin to a captivity facility is about 9,000 dollars, while it is about 200 dollars for the meat.
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