Dolphin is a lucrative trade in Japan. A live dolphin could sell for up to $100,000, which is a much higher price than hunters could obtain for dolphin meat – which sells for as little as $100. More than 20,000 dolphins are killed in Japan annually. Photo by vkilikov/Shutterstock

TAIJI, Japan, May 29 (UPI) -- Japan's dolphin hunters vowed they would never stop capturing cetaceans in the town of Taiji.

Two spokesmen of separate cooperatives in the Japanese town said they defend the drive hunt of dolphins because the practice doesn't break any rules, reported RT.


"We will never stop it," Yoshifumi Kai said. "We used to harpoon dolphins, but that's several decades ago. Now we sever the spinal cord in a moment and there is not much blood."

NHK reported the second spokesman, Shuichi Matsumoto, said the fishermen protect natural resources and that they release pregnant dolphins.

Matsumoto said his cooperative vows to continue the dolphin hunting tradition and keep the practice intact for future generations.

Dolphin hunting in Japan gained infamy after an Oscar-winning 2009 documentary showed how fishermen in the town of Taiji would herd groups of dolphins into shallow water before butchering them with knives.

The Cove mobilized animal rights groups around the world to action, and the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums recently said it would no longer take in dolphins hunted through controversial means.

On Wednesday, neither of the fishermen offered to comment on the JAZA decision to stop acquiring Taiji dolphins.

Dolphin is a lucrative trade in Japan.

A live dolphin could sell for up to $100,000, which is a much higher price than what hunters could obtain for dolphin meat – which sells for as little as $100.

More than 20,000 dolphins are killed in Japan annually, according the Oceanic Preservation Society.