Let me take you through the week that Ric O' Barry has had trying to enter Japan to being incarcerated for days to now being banned from Japan for a total of FIVE (5) years and then I want to re post my article i wrote a month or two ago about the Japanse Government with regard to the Hunting Season over there in Taji, Japan (which we report on every day during the Morning Joe recap).

Here is the Dolphin Outlook Weekly all dedicated into one show and one post:

Japan to Dolphin Activist: Get Out. Immigration officials to deport ‘The Cove’ star Ric O’Barry and bar him from entering the country for five years to campaign against Japan’s annual dolphin slaughter.

Japan has ordered the deportation of dolphin trainer–turned–animal rights activist Ric O’Barry, who was featured in the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary The Cove.

O’Barry, 76, was detained at Japan’s Narita airport on Monday when officials refused to allow him to enter the country using a tourist visa. On Friday, authorities denied an appeal from O’Barry’s lawyer, Takashi Takano.

His son, Lincoln O’Barry, said that since the release of The Cove, which brought international scrutiny to the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, his father gets harassed and interrogated every time he visits the country.

Lincoln O’Barry said Japanese officials initially accused his father of being a member of the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, which maintains a constant presence in Taiji, monitoring the dolphin hunt.

“But now, they are saying he lied about where he went the last time he was in the country, so he can’t be trusted this time around,” Lincoln O’Barry said.

In an email to his son, Ric O’Barry said he is being held on “trumped-up charges.”

“For the past 72 hours, I have been behind bars in a detention facility, yet I have broken no laws,” he wrote.

With his appeal denied, O’Barry has been scheduled for deportation and will not be permitted to return for five years. That’s a punishment his son says cannot stand.

“He has been working for 13 years to expose the brutal dolphin hunt there, and this is their latest attempt to shut him out,” Lincoln O'Barry said.

Takano has reportedly filed a lawsuit in Japan to fight the deportation warrant. O’Barry’s conservation group, The Dolphin Project, has started a petition on its website calling for the deportation measures to be dropped.

From Sept. 1 through March 1, fishers on boats drive thousands of dolphins into Taiji Cove, after which they are either sold to aquariums and marine parks or killed for their meat.

“January is typically a brutal month of slaughter in the cove,” Lincoln O’Barry said. According to The Dolphin Project’s count, 418 dolphins have been killed so far this year. “It seems to be adding up to be an especially bad year, and this deportation issue can’t distract from that.”

TOKYO – Ric O’Barry, recipient of the prestigious Bambi Award and star of the Oscar winning documentary “The Cove” was detained by Japanese immigration officials at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on Monday. After arriving into Tokyo at approximately 4:45 p.m., O’Barry was repeatedly interrogated, and placed in a deportees’ facility, similar to a jail, where he has been held for over 32 hours.

According to his lawyer, Takashi Takano, O’Barry was told he couldn’t enter Japan on a tourist visa as his tourist status was not “fully proven.” Officials also accused him of making “The Cove” movie, as well as being related to Sea Shepherd, an anti-poaching organization. O’Barry has denied both accusations.

Takano has filed a formal objection, with the decision to allow O’Barry into the country or deport him to be made by the Japanese government. Authorities have refused to provide Takano with information to support their decision, and O’Barry’s refutal has not been accepted. While he is detained for questioning every time he visits Japan, nothing of this magnitude has ever happened before.

Upon learning of O’Barry’s predicament, Congressman Ted Lieu’s office contacted the State Department, which confirmed O’Barry’s detention.

The Japanese government is cracking down on those who oppose their war on dolphins,” O’Barry said, through his son, Lincoln O’Barry. “I feel I am being used as a figurehead representing all Western activists.”

Continues Lincoln O’Barry:

This is a desperate attempt by the Japanese Government to hide the atrocities in Taiji. They have run out of excuses on why the slaughter and sale of mercury contaminated dolphin meat continues. Dolphin hunting in Taiji began in the 1950’s and is hardly cultural or traditional. The dolphins that aren’t slaughtered are sold to dolphin abusement parks around the world.”

The 76-year old Founder/Director of Dolphin Project and former trainer for the TV series “Flipper” was arrested last August for allegedly not carrying a passport. After spending a night in jail, all charges against him were dropped when police discovered the passport in the car O’Barry was driving.

Dolphin Project Cove Monitors are on the ground in Taiji throughout the killing season, documenting and disseminating information. The team has always operated within the Japanese legal system.

A number of high-profile celebrities, including U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, Harry Styles, Maisie Williams, Yoko Ono, Ben Stiller, former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum and Sting support O’Barry in his work.

Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project and our legal team are going to challenge the deportation as well as thedolphin hunt. Please considering donating to help us in this fight. We can not let Japan hide what happens in Taiji. The world is watching. The hashtag #IStandWithRicOBarry is starting to trend.

Dolphin campaigner Ric O'Barry speaks from behind bars about his detention in Japan. AWARD-WINNING dolphin campaigner Ric O'Barry - star of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove - has spoken from behind bars about his detention in Japan.;

GETTY
Ric O'Barry is seen as a figurehead of the campaign to stop the Taiji drives

The 76 year old American said he is being treated as a figurehead by the Japanese authorities angered by Western protests over the brutal Taiji dolphin drives.

O'Barry, who famously trained Flipper for the hit 1960s television show before becoming an ardent campaigner to protect dolphins and whales, has been held by the Japanese for more than 32 hours.

GETTY

Speaking through his son, Lincoln, today, he said: "The Japanese government is cracking down on those who oppose their war on dolphins. I feel I am being used as a figurehead representing all Western activists."

I feel I am being used as a figurehead representing all Western activists

Campaigner Ric O'Barry

The death of David Bowie last week has put the Japanese authorities under increased pressure over its six-month dolphin killing season in the port of Taiji.

Bowie allowed his 1977 classic Heroes to be used on the soundtrack of The Cove for a minimum fee and the song was used as the anthem at last weekend's protest march in London against the Taiji dolphin slaughter.

O'Barry has said that London is the key location to bring about an end to annual cycle of killing and capturing of the animals for marine parks, although he was not in Europe for the rally as he was heading to Japan to test dolphin meat for mercury poisoning.

As soon as he arrived in Tokyo, he was interrogated and placed in a deportees' facility where he has been held for more than 32 hours.

Speaking today, his son Lincoln explained: "This is a desperate attempt by the Japanese Government to hide the atrocities in Taiji. They have run out of excuses on why the slaughter and sale of mercury contaminated dolphin meat continues.

GETTY

A protest against the Taiji drive outside the Japanese embassy in Isreal

"Dolphin hunting in Taiji began in the 1950s and is hardly cultural or traditional. The dolphins that aren't slaughtered are sold to dolphin parks around the world."

According to O'Barry's lawyer, Takashi Takano, the campaigner was told he could not enter Japan on a tourist visa as his tourist status was not "fully proven."

The lawyer has filed a formal objection, with the decision to allow O'Barry into the country or deport him to be made by the Japanese government.

O'Barry was arrested in Japan last August for allegedly not carrying a passport but all charges were dropped when police discovered his documents in the car he was driving.

Leading British dolphin campaigner Dominic Dyer, policy adviser for the Born Free Foundation, said: "The Japanese Authorities are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with Ric O'Barry's leadership role in the anti-Taiji campaign movement.

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Mr O'Barry considers London a key location in the action to stop the annual killing

"The march for dolphins and David Bowie tribute which he supported in London on Saturday, brought more than 1,000 people to the steps of the Japanese Embassy and reached an audience of over 80 million people in the print, broadcast and online media.

"The Japanese Government are trying to silence Ric and prevent him from bearing witness to the cruel slaughter of dolphins at Taji Cove.

"They know the caring compassionate movement he leads around the world against dolphin slaughter and exploitation is hugely damaging to the reputation of Japan. "Caroline Kennedy, the US Ambassador to Japan, has spoken out in the past against the cruel slaughter of dolphins at Taiji Cove.

"She must now intervene to ensure Ric O'Barry is released and is able to continue to peacefully protest against what is happening at Taiji Cove."

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT DENIES O’BARRY’S APPEAL TO ENTER COUNTRY

TOKYO – The Japanese Ministry of Justice has denied an appeal from Dolphin Project Founder/Director Ric O’Barry to enter the country, three days since he was placed in a deportee’s facility at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport. Immigration officers have also issued an order of departure for today, January 21. O’Barry has refused to leave, vowing to fight the deportation order.

Expounding on their premise that his tourist status wasn’t able to be “fully proven,” immigration officials accused O’Barry of making false claims on his Facebook page. They also took issue with him attending an independent event in Tokyo for Japan Dolphins Day on August 29, 2015, when, during one of his regular interrogations, he told immigration officials he would not attend.

The Japanese government is cracking down on those who oppose their war on dolphins.” ~ says Ric O’Barry, through his son, Lincoln O’Barry. He continues, “I’m incarcerated on trumped-up charges, just like in Taiji last August. For the past 72 hours, I have been behind bars in a detention facility, yet I have broken no laws.”

O’Barry was initially refused admittance into Japan, when, on Monday, January 18, he was detained by Japanese immigration officials upon flying into Tokyo. O’Barry was repeatedly interrogated and placed in a deportees’ facility, similar to a jail, where he has been held behind bars ever since. He has not received proper nourishment, his only food coming from the airport’s 7 Eleven convenience store, and sleep has been minimal at best.

O’Barry is no stranger to two hour interrogations. Since the 2009 release of the Academy award-winning documentary “The Cove,” he is regularly detained for questioning every time he visits Japan. The country’s harassment of him escalated when O’Barry, also last August, was arrested for allegedly not carrying a passport. After spending a night in jail, all charges against him were dropped when police discovered the passport in the car O’Barry was driving. But nothing of this magnitude has ever happened before.

Our legal team, represented by The Law Offices of Takashi Takano, has initiated a formal administrative suit and injunction of the deportation warrant. Should O’Barry voluntarily leave the country, he would be banned from entry for a minimum of five years. For a man who has traveled to Taiji for 13 years, exposing the brutal dolphin drives taking place there, this option was unacceptable. With a formal deportation process now in place, O’Barry will be transported to a detention center near the airport.

Says Lincoln O’Barry:

This is a desperate attempt by the Japanese Government to hide the atrocities in Taiji. They have run out of excuses on why the slaughter and sale of mercury contaminated dolphin meat continues. Dolphin hunting in Taiji began in the 1950’s and is hardly cultural or traditional. The dolphins that aren’t slaughtered are sold to dolphin abusement parks around the world.”

Dolphin Project Cove Monitors are on the ground throughout the entire killing season, from approximately September 1 to March 1 of each year, documenting and disseminating information. The team has always operated within the Japanese legal system.

I would publicly like to thank Congressmen Ted Lieu, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and The Law Offices of Takashi Takano. Thank you to everyone worldwide who has fought on my behalf, and on behalf of the dolphins. Your efforts are deeply appreciated.” Ric O’Barry, through his son, Lincoln O’Barry.

How you can help

Dolphin Project has mounted a legal defense fund, as our legal costs are escalating. All donations are greatly appreciated and urgently needed. Then please sign this petition and add your name to free Ric O’Barry.

I will never voluntarily go back home and will try my best to enter Japan. I am not an enemy of the Japanese people.” Ric O’Barry, as told to his lawyer.

Narita Airport website is down! In support of Ric O'Barry.

Please help with our legal defense fund: Click here to Donate

Taji (Japan) Officials Continue to Sanction Terror in 'The Cove'

The sun has set on yet another appalling day of brutal capture and slaughter of dolphins off the coast in Taji, Japan. As dolphin pods, or families, are split apart and murdered, calves heart-wrenchingly taken from their mothers, scarred dolphins throwing themselves at the feet of journalist activists, as if they are begging for mercy before being brutally, fatally hunted, it is more apparent than ever that mainstream public awareness is crucial to the survival of these innocent, peaceful guardian creatures of the oceans.

While human history is highlighted by many examples of brave leadership, innovation, scientific breakthroughs, it is also marred by modern day slavery and age old genocide. Civilization has since become enlightened to the horrors of slavery and the atrocities of genocide, lets not allow these ruthless acts continue against the world's dolphin population.

We literally steal animals now from its own free environment and we get them to work for free providing food and some small housing just like we did back in the days with Jewish people and with African American people. And, after capturing them, if they do not fit that physical ability to do that manual labor, the people enslaving others would kill them.

This practice is not limited to dolphins. Whales, elephants, rhinos, tigers, lions, apes - animals people pay to watch for entertainment were taken from their natural habitat and enslaved for the purpose of corporate profit. This type of slavery must end. It's time is overdue.

Some of these magnificent creatures are killed for their meat, for a tusk of ivory, for a horn or, as in the case of dolphins, no reason at all. Dolphin meat is not consumed by people outside of Taji, parts of their anatomy are not used for art, jewelry or display.

These acts can be likened to Europeans and Americans forcing Africans from their families and their homeland to become slaves, the property of others, forced to perform as their master's commanded. Shame on corporations, such as Sea World, paying for the capture and enslavement of creatures from the sea for human entertainment.

It is not limited to SeaWorld, the same goes with any place that uses animals and wildlife to make money for human entertainment.

The annual dolphin hunt season in Taji, Japan runs from September to March. International conservationists and activists travel to Taji to broadcast the slaughter each day of the season each year. The locals in Taji, Japan consider the broadcast harassment. I consider the hunt barbaric and, just as human slavery is illegal, I believe it should be illegal to slaughter dolphins and to steal animals from their habitat to be used for human purposes or corporate profit.

If you'd like to know exactly what happens in the slaughters, which happen most days in Taiji from September to March, this covertly-obtained footage shows brief glimpses (but please note it is extremely disturbing). Video length = 02:49

The slaughtering and capturing of dolphins began in Taji, a small Japanese village with a population of 3500 residents. Taji is located within the Wakayama area of Japan. The Taji locals corner the defenseless dolphin pods into a corner of a cove and use harpoons, repeatedly, fatally stabbing each dolphin and turning the once aqua waters a murderous red. The Taji locals consider this a "traditional hunting practice." In spite of the 2009 Academy Award-winning documentary film "The Cove," and tremendous conservation efforts by individuals such as Ric O'Barry and a group called The Cove guardians, it appears, more is needed to bring this issue to mainstream public consciousness.

After having many conversations with family and friends over the Thanksgiving holiday, it appears that many have engaged in a sort of group think and seem to block out the atrocities that must be involved in bringing these 'adorable Shamus' creatures to SeaWorld to delight the grandchildren. Others seem completely unaware of the issue.

Regardless of perception, the Wakayaman government has passed laws that violate international law. International Law forbids hunting dolphins and porpoises except when such hunting is in accordance with "Traditional hunting practices." The Taji dolphin hunt began in 1968. The Wakayaman Perfectural Government falsely claims the practice of this hunt has been going on since the 17th century and falls within the exclusion of the international law forbidding the hunting of dolphins and porpoises. They are not acting out of tradition, they are acting out of bloodthirst and greed.

In so doing, the Wakayaman government allows the brutal slaughter of 2000 dolphins and porpoises each year in violation of international law.

Other than an element of people in a tiny market in the town of Taji, dolphin meat is not exported to anywhere else in the world.

Just stated that in recent years, the Taiji dolphin hunt has become an active place for activists. I personally found out about it when I saw that Academy Award-winning 2009 film The Cove, which documents the hunt and raised awareness of Taiji's dolphin hunting industry internationally. I contacted the film makers during the film in disbelief that happened every year, let alone every day during it.

Conservationist group The Dolphin Project which is organized by Ric O'Barry has had a presence during every season, broadcasting live video feeds of it while protesting on land in the village with its' live Internet feed, and has helped gain great awareness about it every year. They have also mobilized protests at Embassy's and have garnered many kids to protest against the practice.

On January 19, 2014, many organizations like the Sustainable Action Network (SAN) and the Dolphin Project helped to organize and execute a large social media campaign. This campaign garnered the attention of US Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy. Ambassador Kennedy wrote an open letter in opposition to the dolphin hunt to the Japanese Prime Minister. Other high profile people have become concerned about the dolphin hunt and traveled to Taji, japan to witness the hunt in person. These people include comedian Ricky Gervais, actress Shannon Doherty and pop singer Harry Stiles.

This has been a hard year. Pods of Risso dolphins have been captured. One that included 20 individual dolphins were captured just today. A group of pilot whales were captured, abused, starved and then, eventually killed last week. Anywhere between 150-200 have been killed or captured over the last three months. I continue to document these kills daily at my blog and at Sunset-Daily when writing up the Morning Joe Recap every week day; however, again this year, the task has become daunting.

Time-lapse footage with a counter showing the death process over a seven minute period (again a warning, this is extremely graphic). Video length = 01:30

This video shows a pilot whale captured in a drive hunt floating upside down in a pen in Taiji’s harbour. The pen is too small for the whale to swim around and submerge itself, so it is overheating under the hot sun. This pilot was observed over several days. The dolphin trainers did not bother to move it to a larger pen or release it, and the pilot whale eventually died. Video length = 00:15

Perhaps one of the most distressing aspects of the dolphin hunt to witness is the confused reaction of the dolphins. Dolphins instinctively are trusting and protective creatures. They literally trust their captors as they are led into a corner of the cove and slaughtered. Have you ever seen a dolphin guide a sea lion, seal or even a drowning dog to safety? Videos of just that depicting this nurturing dolphin behavior can be viewed on YouTube. The reaction of the dolphins as they realize they have been betrayed is hard but important to watch. They are tired, they stare, bewildered above the water, scratches and cuts apparent all over their magnificent bodies. The dolphins appear so very confused as if they are wondering why this is happening as they are stabbed over and over as they slowly and painfully die along with the rest of the adults in their pod.

To add to this cruelty, the hunters separate the calves from their mothers and release the calves, unable yet to fend for themselves, into the great ocean waters. Hence, the hunters seal the calves fate: to become food for larger ocean prey.

Even with the hype around it, Japan officials defend dolphin hunting atin the Taiji Cove. And, like I said above here, the locals defend the practice.

The hunt also drew publicity in January 2014 when a rare albino dolphin later named "Angel" was caught, captured and sentenced to a life swimming in small circles in a museum in Taji, Japan. The Wakayama Prefectural Government declined CNN's request for an interview about their practice of hunting and capturing dolphins. Instead, the government referred CNN to it's website that contains the stock position that "residents viewed dolphins and whales as legitimate marine resources and that the hunt, a local tradition, was integral to the town's economic survival." This argument is very familiar. The southern states also argued that slavery was integral to economic survival. In a civilized, humane society, there MUST be a moral line that can not be crossed for the purpose of economic profit. Taji Japan crosses that line.

Besides, that is not a true statement. This town is not going to be starved to its deaths if they do NOT eat Dolphin meat. The claim made by Government officials is that the town is "located far away from the centers of economic activity, the town has a 400-year history as the cradle of whaling, and has flourished over the years thanks to whaling and the dolphin fishery," is what the statement said verbatim. It went on to state that "the dolphin fishery is still an indispensable industry for the local residents to make their living.”

Only a person completely lacking compassion could have knowledge of the methods used in this annual hunt and not feel a sense of indignation. Drive Hunting, the technique used to guide, trap and capture or kill the dolphins is well documented in the Academy Award-winning Documentary "The Cove.' Drive hunting is performed with a weapon called a metal banger pole. The metal banger pole is used to create a wall of sound meant to disorient and deafen the dolphins. In this state, the dolphins are driven to swim away from the sound and into the shallow waters of the infamous cove.

This video shows how dolphins are captured in drive hunts, a method which involves herding the dolphins using underwater noise. Video length = 00:57

The cove hunt has become so well known that it was referred to in the latest Ben Stiller film, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb." In the film, the character Atilla the Hun is portrayed abusing a dolphin. Ben Stiller's character reacts and exclaims: “Atilla, you don't beat up dolphins! They're gentle creatures, but you were hacking away at him like it was 'The Cove' or something."

Once driven into the cove, the dolphins become ensnared in nets placed by the hunters. The killers use large metal rods to probe and puncture the spinal cords of their victims. The dolphins and pilot whales finally die by either blood loss or suffocation by drowning in their own blood. When the killers have a successful, murderous day, the term "Red Cove Day" is announced because they have succeeded in the barbaric act of turning the once beautiful blue water of the cove a blood red coat of color. Conservationist activists use the term "Blue Cove Day" on the rare days when no dolphins or pilot whales are killed or captured.

You can watch that happen every day on live feeds at Ric O' Barry's “The Dolphin Project' web site.

Taiji fishermen's union representatives have told CNN reporters that their methods of spine-severing is a humane method of killing the dolphins.

These hunters are cowards. When filmed transporting live dolphins for their meat, they sought cover to hide when approached by cameras. They block activists from filming it as much as possible.

As a matter of fact, this form of activism, recording and speaking to the hunters has been labeled harassment by the Japanese government. Several individuals have been arrested for attempting to help the dolphins or record the activities of the hunters. The Japanese government is condoning this activity by allowing the hunters to hide and by attempting to shield this behavior from public awareness. In fact, Taji's mayor, Kazutaka Sangen, told the Associated Press "we are hunting under the permission of the Japanese government and prefecture, and so we will continue to protect our fisherman and the methods. We will not quit." Do these officials in Japan have any shame? Why do they want to hide their "traditional practices" from cameras?

I maintain that there should be an amendment to the current international law about protecting sea life from international waters. I feel that they should not be able to guide them into their shores and eventually into the Taji cove. The Japanese laws allowing this 47 year old barbaric method of hunting dolphins and whales can not legally not supersede the international laws protecting them. The international community must not lack the will to stop this practice.

A simple review of the money trail reveals the motive of the dolphin and whale hunt in Taji. The motive is not tradition, it is greed. Ric O'Barry, former dolphin trainer and documentarian said in that same interview, "while many of the dolphins were killed and sold for meat, the most attractive specimens were (are) rounded up during the drive hunting were (are) taken alive and sold to aquariums for sums in excess of $100,000 an animal. These captures were the real "economic underpinning" of the annual hunt." "You'd get $400-500 for a dead dolphin's meat, but there's a lot of money for a live one, and that's what keeps this thing going," he goes on to say about the practice.

Besides, the young, beautiful and more suitable ones selected for human entertainment and for private companies to make money that way, are forced to be with their families while they are killed in this netted pen area inside the cove in Taji.

About 700 to 1,000 dolphins are killed every year during seasons, and about 150 to 200 are taken into captivity every year and during every season.

Those numbers are down from 2010 and 2011 when 2,252 dolphins were caught by Taiji's hunters and when 302 were sold to marine parks (according to Ceta-Base). During those years back in 2010 and in 2011, 177 Dolphins were exported which if you use easy math, 125 dolphins (41%), were sold in Japan.

The true motivation for it is greed. Everyone can do that math rather easily because since the practice begun back in the late 1960's, more money is made by using these animals for the sake of human entertainment. They are stealing these animals as a way to make a lot of money. Just like people have done with their human slaves. It shifted from humans to animals.

Several Japanese zoos and aquariums voted this year to stop buying and selling dolphins taken during the notorious Taiji hunt. However, it does not seem to be letting up at all this year. The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums has banned the buying and selling of dolphins with the animals taken from the annual hunt off the coast in Taji. The organization that oversees 37 Japanese marine parks, voted for the measure this year after a threat of being cast out from the organization by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums opposes what are considered to be drive hunts, in which these animals are driven into a confined space to be killed or to be carted off to a place to perform for human entertainment

The ban happens to be what is considered "a big step because it's a statement from within the industry," says Courtney Vail, campaign and programs manager at the United Kingdom-based group Whale and Dolphin Conservation. But Vail also said in that interview that she highly doubts that the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums step actually would put an end to the annual hunting season. "I do believe that the drive hunts will not end until the overall ethic towards whales and dolphins that permeates Japan's political and social culture evolves," she says.

That ban should affect dolphinariums that have depended on the hunting season in Taiji as its "a quick and easy source of the marine mammals." According to the 2013 Elsa Nature Conservancy survey, about 600 dolphins live in 54 marine parks in Japan, 37 of which are members of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Japanese association's secretary-general, Naonori Okada, has said that the group's members keep upward of 250 dolphins, and that Japanese aquariums have purchased an average of 20 Taiji dolphins a year. Export data indicates that Japanese marine parks have been more reliant on Taiji dolphins than the reported 250.

According to Japan Times survey, five members of the Japanese association say that they will quit the organization as its way to continue buy dolphins caught off the coast in Taiji. Another two entities also say that they could feasibly quit too, leaving 16 companies in it that state that they will remain members.

What I am seeing happen more often today is also what I call to be 'smoke and mirrors' because let us take SeaWorld for example. They state now that they will not use any more animals caught or captured, however, they merely breed the ones already in captivity. Some are used as breeding machines.

The town of Taji has considered tying off a section in the cove used to snag these dolphins to create a breeding center.

Being bred to die or bred to entertain for humans while being in captivity is no answer to this problem.

"We will have a small team on the ground [in Taiji] for the [season]," again this year says Ric O'Barry. "This year we have to pay attention to who is capturing dolphins. The main dealer is the Taiji Whale Museum, and they are a member of JAZA." I must assume Ric means who is buying them from the people capturing them but the people at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation are also paying serious attention to how the World Association Of Zoos and Aquariums and how the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums respond to how these animals are actually purchased and gotten outside of Taiji.

The overall issue is the demand (or lack there of) to view Dolphins and all animals in live performances for human entertainment. The problem is that it is like a 'whack a mole' game in the sense that maybe its being reduced a bit in America, however, in places like Russia and in Abu Dabi, are the new markets. For instance, the CFO at Sea World was fired this year and the new one makes no bones about creating revenues in International markets. We now have to depend on the people in those countries to get that uncomfortable feeling (like I get) when they see an animal swimming in a pool the size of the one in our back yards or when they see one in a cage the size of our bedroom. But that is where the money is at for the hunters in Taji, Japan.

This video shows “Misty”, a dolphin kept at the Dolphin Base dolphinarium in Taiji. Misty is easily identified by his only toy, a yellow fishing buoy he carries constantly in his mouth. Misty sometimes plays with his buoy, but usually floats lifelessly in his tiny and overcrowded tank. Video length = 00:44

There has to be a global effort to not use these animals and wildlife as a way for its companies to make money.

Like I said many times here, it is modern day slavery. It is slavery but with animals. And, that we have shifted from enslaving humans in this same exact way, to animals. (Jodi Block Paisner contributed to this article).

Song ('The Sea') by Richtaste is Produced by Pat Aeby (Krokus, etc.), Music Video
Produced by Don Lichterman c/o Sunset Pictures Music Videos

Thanks especially to the tireless and what is endless work of the people that are trying to stop all Dolphin Hunting and Capturing in every way, and thanks to any participants who please, if you want to be credited in any way, contact us now at artistdevelopment@sunsetrecordings.com. We will do it that minute.

Also, this video is monetized in some way (ad shares, amounts of plays, amounts of views, etc.) and therefore any and I mean 100% of all revenues made from it, will go to the Oceanic Preservation Society (makers of the COVE) and to the Dolphin Project. As a matter of fact, we have set up an automated monthly payment which I am matching BTW, every month. Thanks for the help and for your participation in stopping all wildlife crime. Your tax-deductible donation helps the Oceanic Preservation Society often receives requests from supporters of our organization inquiring about their ability to raise money for OPS. Past request have included charitable fundraising programs by students, individuals doing charity walks or hikes, or individuals who were moved by our work and who just want to help us raise funds. Such independent fundraising activities are possible and greatly appreciated. The following is background information on OPS and how that independent fundraising should be conducted:

• Oceanic Preservation Society is a registered 501(c)(3) Public Charity, Tax ID 38-3891081

• Donations from individuals in the form of cash or check can be tax deductible to the donor as a charitable income tax deduction;

• Donations in the form of checks is preferable to donations in cash;

• If a fundraiser is soliciting funding, then any checks should be written to Oceanic Preservation Society, rather than to the fundraiser;

• The fundraiser should provide OPS with the name and address of each donor so that OPS can provide each donor with a letter acknowledging the donation for income tax purposes; and

• The fundraiser should indicate that he or she is merely selecting OPS as his or her charity of choice for his or her fundraising activities and that the fundraiser is not officially associated with OPS.

Become a Monthly Sustaining Donor or a One-time Donor Below.

(http://www.opsociety.org/what-you-can-do/as-a-donor).

Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the USA (Tax ID 47-1665067), and donations are fully tax-deductible.

Also, please visit this artists web site at www.Richtaste.sunsetrecordings.com and visit Sunset Records at anytime at www.sunsetrecordings.com.

10 Facts You Didn’t Know About The Taiji Dolphin Slaughter (the following list was compiled by Alexandra Piotrowski at RYOT)

If you’re at all interested in the dolphin slaughter, you need to know these ten facts about it:

1. THE DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER ISN’T ACTUALLY A TRADITION.

Proponents of the practice are quick to call it a “cultural tradition,” but the practice of en masse dolphin killing truly started when the motorboat engine was invented and adopted into the mainstream. “This is like one generation, and that’s not ‘traditional,'” says Lincoln O’Barry of the Dolphin Project. “[The Japanese] could go kill with traditional whaling and go in big 20 man canoes and paddle out and kill a whale, but they’d never slaughter 100s of dolphins before.”

2. . . . BUT EVEN IF IT WERE A TRADITION, IT COULD CHANGE.

The Soloman Islands are one of few remaining indigenous and tribal areas on Earth, and they used to hunt dolphins for food and cultural reasons. When O’Barry visited them, they were using dolphin teeth as currency. After several months of living with the native people, O’Barry was able to educate them about dolphin conservation enough for them to alter their practices. “They stopped after a thousand years of tradition. It shows people can change.”

3. THE ENTIRE LOCAL FISHING INDUSTRY ISN’T BASED ON THE DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER.

Taiji’s fishing industry isn’t entire contingent on the relative success of the dolphin slaughter. Stopping the slaughter would put “50 people out of business,” says O’Barry. While 50 out of 300 is still a considerable percentage, those 50 happen to be the richest people in the small town who make most of their profits specifically from the slaughter. “There are 300 other fishermen in Taiji that fish for other things, not dolphins.”

4. THE HIGHLY LUCRATIVE DOLPHIN CAPTIVITY INDUSTRY IS TRULY WHAT MOTIVATES THE SLAUGHTER.

“A dead dolphin… is worth about $500 in meat. A wild dolphin,” like those captured in Taiji during the slaughter, “to keep in an aquarium alive can be worth over $130,000.”

5. A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE, NOT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF JAPAN, IS RESPONSIBLE.

Many Japanese citizens aren’t informed of the practice, motivation and effects of the dolphin slaughter — not even the people in Taiji. “We printed copies of The Cove in Japanese, and actually put them in every mail slot in every house in Taiji,” O’Barry says of Dolphin Project’s on-the-ground efforts to change this horrific practice. “I would personally relate the numbers of slaughtered dolphins dropping to this.”

6. THE DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER ISN’T IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE JAPANESE.

Aside from a small group that profits immensely from the practice, most Japanese people don’t benefit at all from it. “No one in Japan mentions the word ‘mercury,'” laments O’Barry. Dolphin meat has some of the highest concentrations of the element, and consuming it can lead to severe neurological problems, from migraines to impaired motor skills.

7. THE JAPANESE ARE ALSO TAKING ACTION AGAINST THE SLAUGHTER.

2013 was the first year there was a Japanese activist standing up in protest at the cove. “This is about identifying and showing that it’s not all Japanese people,” says Lincoln. “There was a lot of anti-Japanese sentiment during the big whaling movement in the 1970s. All that really accomplished was that Japanese-American kids would get beat up on the playground. You can’t boycott a race of people just because of what a handful of people are doing in Taiji. That’s insane.”

8. LESS DOLPHINS ARE BEING KILLED EACH YEAR, THANKS TO AWARENESS AND GLOBAL PRESSURE.

In 2009, 2,500 dolphins were slaughtered. In 2010, 2,000. In 2012, only 800 were killed. That’s still 800 too many, but it proves that change can happen when passionate people take action.

9. THE WAY TO SUSTAIN CHANGE IS BY CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS.

Getting mad doesn’t solve anything, and blaming a group of people doesn’t help either. The methods that have worked over the years and reduced the number of murdered dolphins are education and communication. O’Barry tells a powerful story about a Taiji dolphin hunter he knew: “There was a 3rd generation dolphin hunter that one day had a moment of epiphany that he couldn’t do it anymore. He’s now converted his dolphin hunting boat into a dolphin watching boat.”

10. YOU’RE NOT POWERLESS IN THIS SITUATION.

From signing petitions to sharing the facts on social media, there is a lot that you can do to help change this situation. The strongest weapon you have is your voice — use it to speak out against this atrocity and inspire change.

Footage courtesy of "The Cove", AtlanticBlue.de, Martyn Stewart, Whale Dolphin Conservation and BlueVoice.org.