Japanese Supermarket Bans Dolphin Meat: Please network to media contacts.

[Guest guest]

Please network to media contacts.

 

THE SAVE JAPAN DOLPHINS COALITION

Animal Welfare Institute * Earth Island Institute * Elsa Nature Conservancy of

Japan * In Defense of Animals

 

 

MAJOR JAPANESE SUPERMARKET CHAIN PERMANENTLY BANS ALL SALE OF DOLPHIN MEAT

 

 

Contacts: Richard O'Barry, Phone/Fax: (305) 668-1619

Mobile Phone: (786) 973-8618

E-mail: ricobarry

 

David Phillips (415) 788-3666 x145

E-mail: davep

 

For The Japan Times:

Boyd Harnell, Mobile Phone: 81-909-319-4267

E-mail: harnell

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 10, 2007

 

On December 26, 2006, the director of food products for the Okuwa Supermarket

Corporation, Mr. Yasunari Kanki, banned the sale of all dolphin meat in all of

their stores. The ban is now permanent, according to a statement from Okuwa:

 

" We have decided, as a matter of company policy, that we will discontinue

permanently the sale of dolphin meat regardless of test results currently being

conducted by the company at an independent lab. " The supermarket adds: " Those

test results will be concluded next week, but the results will not be revealed. "

 

The Save Japan Dolphins coalition (Earth Island Institute, Elsa Nature

Conservancy of Japan, Animal Welfare Institute, and In Defense of Animals)

applauds this major development in efforts to stop the Japanese dolphin

slaughter. Our coalition members formally thank the Okuwa Supermarket chain for

their landmark decision to protect the Japanese people from contaminated food

products.

 

 

Mercury Contamination in Dolphin Meat

 

During our recent investigations in the Japanese fishing village Taiji, where

each year hundreds of dolphins are brutally slaughtered, we visited several

nearby supermarkets owned by the Okuwa Supermarket Corporation. The supermarkets

are located in Taiji, Katsuura, and Shingu. Our team was very visible with our

cameras in hand, and we asked whether the supermarkets would sell imported

American or Australian beef if you knew mercury levels were the same dangerous

levels as dolphin meat caught in Taiji? We also asked them to conduct

independent tests on your products to see if the mercury levels are safe. We

also asked, in light of The Japan Times report (11/01/06) of unsafe mercury

levels in dolphin meat, why do you continue to sell the tainted dolphin meat and

are you concerned about lawsuits by consumers?

 

We also informed the supermarkets that Dr. Tetsuya Endo, of the Hokkaido Health

Science University, the Dai Ichi Health Science University and New Zealand

Health Science University conducted a three-year joint study of mercury levels

in dolphin meat from dolphins caught off the coast of Japan -- including Taiji.

They found very high levels of mercury in every sample of dolphin meat that they

tested. Their conclusion: nobody should consume dolphin meat. Dr. Endo is a

highly respected Japanese scientist. His report on mercury tainted dolphin meat

was published in 2005.

 

Meanwhile, the Japanese Minister of Health and Welfare has known about the

danger yet has chosen not to warn the public about it.

 

As we reported in our Taiji blog on December 12th

<http://www.SaveJapanDolphins.org>, we bought a package of striped dolphin meat

from the Shingu Okuwa Supermarket and delivered it to The Japan Times in Tokyo

to be independently tested. Here are the results: The second random sample of

dolphin meat (iruka niku) sold at the Shingu Central Okuwa Supermarket was

tested for total mercury with a readout of 5.40 ppm -- 14 times above the

Koseisho's advisory level of 0.4 ppm. The first sample tested in February was

over 4 times the advisory level at 1.77 ppm.

 

 

Dolphin Meat Now Banned

 

On December 26, 2006, the Director of Food Products for the Okuwa Supermarket

Corporation, Mr. Yasunari Kanki, banned the sale of all dolphin meat in all of

their stores. The ban on dolphin meat is official and permanent. The supermarket

chain and conglomerate is comprised of drug stores, movie theatres, home store

centers, sports clubs, hotels and amusement facilities.

 

Richard O'Barry, Marine Mammal Specialist for Earth Island Institute, on behalf

of the coalition called the announcement: " a bold decision that should

immediately be followed by other sources of this toxic meat. " He continued: " We

also salute the only newspaper in Japan reporting this most urgent and

controversial issue. Journalist and photographer Boyd Harnell wrote the story

for The Japan Times. "

 

Approximately 23,000 dolphins, porpoises and other small whales are slaughtered

in Japan every year. David Phillips, Director of Earth Island Institute's Int'l

Marine Mammal Project stated: " It is crucial that we track where all this

poisoned dolphin meat is going and stop its sale. " He continued: " The Japanese

public deserve better than to have this toxic product on their store shelves,

and the dolphins deserve better than this cruel slaughter. "

 

O'Barry continued: " We must also get the dolphin trainers and dolphin dealers

out of Taiji. Leading aquariums and swim-with-dolphin dealers are subsidizing

the Japan dolphin slaughter by paying $50,000 or more for a few 'show' dolphins

from the catch -- the rest of the pod is slaughtered for dolphin meat on the

Japanese market for much less money. "

 

For further information on the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition effort to end the

Japan dolphin slaughter, go to:

 

www.SaveJapanDolphins.org