Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Dolphin fishing
"is our only source of income. If the U.S. ambassador is concerned, come
and visit so that she can understand how we make a living from it". It
is the response of a member of the union of the fishermen of Taiji , an area
known for hunting the mammals, to the tweet with which Caroline Kennedy
expressed her "opposition" to the "inhumane slaughter" of
dolphins.
The
trade unionist, who requested anonymity, said: "This is a very small town
in the countryside. We have no other major industries. I want her to come and
visit so that she can understand how we make a living from it. Many fishermen
make a living from the hunting, and many others also earn their living by
working at food processing factories, we do not kill for sport". "
The
controversy was triggered last January 17 , when the U.S. Ambassador wrote on
Twitter: " Deeply concerned by inhumaneness of drive hunt dolphin killing.
USG (US Government) opposes drive hunt fisheries". Also
several activists have challenged the Taiji dolphin cull: The Sea Shepherd
group showed a video of the maritime area in which you see the water red with
blood . According
to fishermen it is an old shot, given that now the hunting occurs with other
methods not involving the bleeding of the animals.
Yoshinobu
Nisaka , the governor of the prefecture under indictment , responds to
criticism accusing Kennedy of having double standards: "We take away lives
of animals like cows and pigs daily. I don't think it is logical to say that it
is only cruel to eat dolphin meat."
Yoichi
Shimada , a Fukui University professor , explains: "the tradition of killing dolphins has been going
on for centuries and because the dolphins consume the sea life that local
fishermen rely on, the matter is "a life-or-death problem. Many Japanese
are sympathetic towards the local fishermen and they argue that Westerners eat
baby cows and sheep, so it is wrong to only blame the fishermen. I do not
believe that Ambassador Kennedy knows much about the history of these
arguments," he added. "And she has the right to raise the issue, but
just putting out messages on Twitter or Facebook is inappropriate".