Info about Targeted Cetaceans

Species At Risk

The Japanese fishermen are indiscriminate. They kill any species that approaches the coast. Sea Shepherd crew have witnessed the killing of:

Striped dolphins Bottlenose dolphins Pilot whales* False killer whales Melon-headed whales

This is not a complete list. They kill any species that approaches the coast including those listed above and Risso dolphins.

*Killing pilot whales violates Japan's treaty obligations to
the International Whaling Commission.

Japan Illegally Kills Small Whales

Japan is a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). In 1986, the IWC's moratorium on the killing of whales went into effect. Under the terms of the IWC, Japan is permitted to kill a limited number of whales under the "scientific research" exception. This "scientific research" exception is, in reality, simply a loophole which Japan exploits in order to kill whales for commercial consumption, but Japan is not permitted to kill any other whales protected by the IWC.

Observers have seen the fishermen at Taiji slaughtering entire pods of small pilot whales. That is a wholesale violation of the provisions of the International Whaling Commission and is plainly illegal. It is simply ignored by the Japanese government.