Unfortunate events unfolded at Taiji Cove this morning. The boats were returning to the harbour emptyhanded when one of crew spotted a small pod of Rissos swimming very close. They radioed the other hunters and they drove them into The Cove. The tarpaulins were erected swiftly and the whole pod was slaughtered. These dolphins had no chance. The hunters use banger poles to make a lot of noise which confuses the dolphins. They are terrified and swim away from the noise and the boats drive them into the Cove and put nets up which the dolphins see as a solid barrier. They were slaughtered immediately and their bodies were taken by skiff to the butcher to be packaged. Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians livestreamed the process which took about 40 minutes approximately from start to finish. That is very quick as the drive can take hours.

There is some good new in these early hours. The Sunday Times online has an article about Taiji

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Environment/article1182207.ece