This is Japan: A Group Of Rough Toothed Dolphins Driven Into The Cove

Written by Megumi Matsuda:
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Day-96
Red Cove 💔🐬💔
#RoughToothedDolphins
Kunito, who was resting early in the morning due to poor health, was still worried about dolphins and went to the harbor, and just a hunting boat came back and made a suspicious move. So when he went to Takababe, a pod was already driven into the cove. 9:48
At first they looked like 20-30 Striped dolphins, but a few trainers came and the way the hunters were catching them one by one was weird. If the pod was Striped, they would normally be driven under the tarps all at once by skiffs and killed.
Then, when their distinctive mouths were clearly visible, they were identified as Rough-toothed dolphins. Season quota of this species is 20. Kunito said he hadn’t seen this species in the past 10 years.
In the end, no one was captured, but a calf died in panic and floated. The hunters hid the small body under the nets on the skiff and returned to the harbor. And all the rest of the pod was released.
It is very doubtful that the hunters added this dead small one to the quota and reported it to the Wakayama Prefectural Fisheries Department.(I will call them later and update)
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2024年12月5日(木) Red Cove 💔🐬💔
早朝、体調不良で休んでいたクニト氏がやはりイルカが心配で港へ行くとちょうど猟船の一隻が戻ってきて不審な動きを見せた。それでタカバベへ行くと既に群れがコーヴへ追い込まれていた。9:48
最初は20-30頭のスジイルカのように見えたのだが、トレーナー達が来ていたし、一頭ずつ猟師が捕まえているのは奇妙だった。その群れがスジイルカなら、通常スキフでタープ下の浅瀬へ一斉に追い込み、容赦なく殺してしまうのだ。
その後、彼らの特徴的な口元がはっきり見えてシワハイルカだと判明。この種の捕獲枠は20頭。クニト氏は過去10年間でこの種を見ていないと言った。
結局、今日は生け捕りがなかったが、1頭の幼いイルカがパニックによって亡くなり浮かんでいた。猟師らはその小さい遺体をスキフ上で網の下に隠して港へ帰った。そして群れの他のすべてがリリースされた。
猟師らがこの亡くなった幼い1頭を捕獲枠に計上し和歌山県水産局へ報告したかどうかは非常に怪しい。
(後ほど県水産局へ確認してお知らせします)