A mother dolphin has been filmed thrashing about in the water as her calf was taken away from her by divers hunting in Japan.

Video of the distressing scene was filmed by animal welfare volunteer Liz Carter, who was in Taiji to observe the coastal town’s annual dolphin hunt.

The footage shows a group of divers struggling to grab hold of the small dolphin as it wriggles in the water and tries to escape from their clutches.

“Oh my god, the mother's trying to follow him,” a voice can be heard saying, as a larger dolphin circles the divers and thrashes about in the water.

“Juveniles ripped from their mothers, this scene, the mother and child are desperately trying to stay together,” Ms Carter, who is a volunteer at Blue Cove Days, wrote in a description of the video post on Facebook.

The video has been watched by more than 1.5 million people, since it was published on January 21.

The controversial Taiji dolphin hunt takes place every year from September to March, with more than 600 dolphins being slaughtered in the 2015-2016 season.