Thursday, March 10, 2011

We have arrived in Otsuchi, Japan!

We left Osaka airport at 3pm yesterday, slept in our rental car during a snowstorm, got up at 3 am to continue our drive and arrived in Otsuchi, Japan at dinner time today.  What a drive, more than 1000km's!

We have arrived in Otsuchi to film the largest slaughter of cetaceans in the world, the Dall's porpoise slaughter.

More than 15,000 Dall's porpoise's are being killed in this area every year, around 7000 a year in this particular city.

We head out tomorrow to meet the fisherman and the police and to start documenting their every move.  The porpoises are killed in a hand harpoon hunt and they then bring the dead animals to shore for processing.  We will be documenting them bringing in the dead animals, as much of the processing as we can, the loading and the transport of the animals.  We will also make an attempt to find the businesses who are selling the meat.

Originally our intentions were to document the final three weeks of the dolphin slaughter in Taiji and that is what we set our budgets for but the hunt in Taiji has stopped for some unknown reason.  Our new destination is proving to be much more expensive with a rental car, a 2000km drive and a different hotel.  At this point we do not have the funds to stay here for the entire three weeks we originally intended to unless we secure some more donations.  All money donated will enable us to stay here longer and continue to document the horror of the hunt, and every day we stay here puts more pressure on the fishermen, the city of Otsuchi, and the Japanese government to stop the Dall's porpoise massacre.  Please donate by clicking on our paypall button!

Wish us luck tomorrow, we will have pictures and video up as soon as we return from the harbor tomorrow!!

For information on the slaughter we are investigating check out this site: http://dallsporpoise.org/home.htm

Marley, Mike and Carisa

8 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you're there to put some pressure on these molesters. This has to stop just like the hunt in Taiji and in other towns in Japan. Keep up the good work!

    Much love from New Hampshire!
    Barbara Trask Lovett

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  2. Wish you luck and hope the pics and videos will get the same attention as "The Cove" got. It's so heartbreaking and you are all so brave and fantastic.

    Best hope and wishes from
    Dorthe Guldfeldt
    Copenhagen Denmark

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  3. Sending you thoughts and love from Victoria and hope that you are all safe after the earthquake and tsunamis.

    Dona & Vibhu

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  4. Hoping you're safe after the earthquake and tsunami. You're such brave people doing so much good! <3

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  5. hope you guys are safe, waiting to know how you are in santa barbara.

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  6. Really hope to see a post soon...that everyone is ok.

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  7. Marley, Mike, Carissa, so glad U made it thru the EQs & Tsunami to live to fight another day for the Dolphins & Porpoises! Come home safe! luv, 'apple' neilson (Florida) p.s. just sent some food $ for u to share while u are there. i hope lots of others do too!

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