Story highlights A "small proportion" of dolphins caught at Taiji were sold to Japanese aquariums

Industry body WAZA has been pressuring its Japanese members for years on the issue

Every year, hunters kill up to 2,000 dolphins and porpoises, mostly for meat

(CNN) Japanese aquariums have narrowly avoided being thrown out of the global industry body by agreeing to stop buying dolphins caught in the controversial Taiji hunt.

Graphic images of slaughtered dolphins in red pools of blood attracted worldwide attention when Taiji was featured in the Academy Award-winning 2009 film "The Cove."

Every year, hunters descend on the town in Wakayama Prefecture, where they're licensed to kill nearly 2,000 and dolphins and porpoises from seven different species. Japan defends the practice as being in accordance with local customs.

Most are killed for their meat, but a "small proportion" are caught for live sales to aquariums worldwide, according to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

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