Assignment 17 - Angela Tseng

Everyone knows that there are huge problems in our world that we simply can't solve overnight, or even in a single year. And when you thinks of the "huge problems" that we have we automatically think of the stereotypical ones such as global warming or racism, but little do we know that there are less well known problems out in the world that require just as much publicity and effort to be fixed.  One such a problem is the mass murdering of dolphins in Japan. The slaughtering of these dolphins is not only harmful to the ocean ecosystem but also to human health and needs to be resolved. However, it is only possible with the help of people all around the globe.

          Many people in the world probably aren't aware of the consumption of dolphin meat, much less the mass murder of dolphins in places such as Taiji, Japan where they herd migrating dolphins into a small cove, spear them to death and then sell them. While everyone already knows that this is wrong on a moral level, the fact that these dolphins are speared to death adds another level to the actions of the dolphin poachers as the dolphins rarely actually die instantly from the stabs, but rather they slowly bleed to death. These terrible occurrences lead to a decline of anywhere from 500 to 2,000 in the dolphin population a season. This loss of dolphins can create an imbalance in the food chain around the areas where these slaughterings occur as the dolphin population takes a dive several times a year. The human effects are just as hazardous, as the dolphin meat contains high levels of mercury - up to 20 times the acceptable standard - that have terrible effects on humans that range from skin discoloration to kidney dysfunction and can also cause  a higher chance of birth defects in newborns. "If you're eating dolphin meat, you're eating poison, and if you're eating a lot of dolphin meat, you're eating a lot of poison," Louie Psihoyos, the director of  'The Cove' a documentary that exploits the murders of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, once said.

          Yet, despite these problems, many people argue that this phenomenon is right and justified. Many claims about how these dolphin slaughterings have been going on for so long and are a Japanese custom have been made, and they've been used as a justification for the killing of hundreds of dolphins a year. But the fact that these slaughterings are 'Japanese Tradition' does not mitigate the negative effects of the mass murder and consumption of these innocent animals. Many tests for mercury poisoning were run in cities that participated in the herding and killing of the dolphins, and just as scientists expected, the levels of mercury in their bodies were much higher than the global average. Even though Tetsuya Endō, an associate professor of the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, opposed these tests, claiming that they're inaccurate and damaged his reputation, his case to sue the people who exploited the dolphin slaughters in Japan did not result in his favor. If people around the world continue to support these crimes against dolphins and consume their meat, this problem will remain unresolved.

          At this point in time the International Whaling Commission, or IWC, only protects 9 of 80 known species of dolphins, leaving 71 species of these precious animals unprotected and vulnerable to the terrible slaughterings happening in Japan. So raising awareness and funds to help protect the innocent dolphins in the world would be a great way to start. Due to the film 'The Cove', many petitions have already risen up around the world and also protests, such as Global Day of Action For Dolphins, which was held in over 20 countries. Another way to help resolve this problem is by spreading word of these acts all over the world, even to Japan itself as many Japanese are unaware that much of the meat they consume is actually mislabeled dolphin meat and they're putting themselves at risk.

          In this day and age, we cannot allow the blatant murder of dolphins be ignored. The slaughtering of these dolphins is not only harmful to the ocean ecosystem but also to human health and needs to be resolved. Dropping dolphin populations and mercury poisoning are only two of the major problems caused by these merciless actions in Japan. We must end this mindless and useless killing. After all, if you wouldn't personally kill a dolphin, why continue to allow others to do so?