Washington State has become the first in the world to ban aquaculture at sea, or stationary fish nets for fish farming because they harm local salmon populations and orca whales. But in Gaza, where food is scarce, fishermen are catching dolphins to survive.
Gaza fishermen are having a tough time eking out a living under the war that started on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel. The UN suggests was for helping Gaza fisherman regain their independence post-war, and in the past the Palestinian economy in Gaza including saltwater pools for farmed fish.
Online critics are alarmed at Gazans catching dolphins and sharks for dinner. But with little fresh protein available would this stop you from eating an endangered creature?
Sharks have been spotted in Middle East markets, and despite the fact that sharks may cause cancer by eating them, fin soup is considered a delicacy. Sharks have been seen in the market in Dubai, for instance.
Before you wag your finger over eating dolphins in Taiji, Japan the fishermen’s union hunts, capture, and slaughter different types of dolphins. They claim it’s tradition. This is the heart of the captive dolphin trade. The slaughtered dolphin meat is sold in local supermarkets, but is not very popular.
The Japanese government sanctions it and sends their Coast Guard and even their Navy to escort and protect these hunters. At least 1,800 dolphins were killed last year in Japan for meat according to the Dolphin Project.
In the Faröe Islands owned by Denmark, the locals partake in hunting and terrorize dolphins and whales, driving them onto the beaches where men, women, and children join in the slaughter. According to Sea Shepherd Global this past September 7th, over 150 white-sided dolphins were killed in a grindadrap (whale and dolphin hunt) in the Faroe Islands bay of Skalafjord.
The slaughter documented by Sea Shepherd crew on the ground, has drawn significant criticism due to the targeting of white-sided dolphins, a species that is not traditionally hunted in the Faroes and has seen declining support for such hunts in recent years. Historically the locals did hunt dolphins in small numbers on human powered boats. Now with motor boats the dolphins don’t stand a chance.
