The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums has voted to remain a member of the World Associations of Zoos and Aquariums, responding to a move by WAZA a month earlier to suspend the Japanese organization's membership with a warning that it would be expelled from the world body if it didn't come up with a more humane way of acquiring dolphins. The Gland, Switzerland-based organization felt that Japan's use of dolphins taken in drive hunting at Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, was problematic.

In Taiji, fishermen strike pipes lowered into the sea with mallets to disorient dolphins and then drive them into a cove where they catch or kill them. "The Cove," a 2009 documentary that captured the Taiji dolphin hunt and showed the blood from the slaughter turning the cove red, caused an international furor. JAZA's decision means that it will prohibit member aquariums from obtaining dolphins caught in drive hunting. WAZA may decide whether to put Japan back on its roster prior to its annual conference scheduled in October.

Japanese aquariums now have two options to acquire dolphins — either to quit JAZA and keep buying the animals from Taiji or to explore other ways of securing new stock for their facilities. Five aquariums that belong to JAZA are reportedly considering quitting the organization, although none announced such plans during the general meeting on Thursday and Friday. Regardless, operators of aquariums should take the events that led to JAZA's May 20 decision seriously.

WAZA adopted a resolution in 2004 denouncing drive hunts. Although JAZA insisted that this method of dolphin hunting at Taiji is a traditional way of catching the animals and is not cruel, the gap between the two sides could not be bridged. The decision by JAZA means that it had to end the decade-long dispute with the umbrella organization by accepting the latter's position. The logical way forward should be for Japanese aquariums to pursue captive breeding of dolphins. They should not make light of the fact that the world body cannot ignore the growing calls for the protection of dolphins in Europe and North America, where anti-whaling sentiment is strong.

JAZA made the decision on the basis of a vote by its members — 89 zoos and 63 aquariums. Of the 142 valid ballots, 99 opted to remain a member of the world body while 43 voted to leave. After the voting, the board of directors unanimously decided to remain in WAZA. It appears that the votes by zoo operators, which account for a majority of the Japan group's members, carried the day. They wanted to avert withdrawing from the world organization, which would have made it difficult for them to borrow or acquire rare animals from their counterparts overseas — a key part of breeding programs in this country.

According to a survey by Kyodo News, 34 zoos and aquariums that belong to JAZA have dolphins. At least 19 of these have acquired the animals from Taiji. Captive breeding is a difficult, expensive endeavor. Dolphins require a quiet environment while birthing, so the pools used for dolphin shows aren't suitable. The operators would need to prepare other pools.

Only a few Japanese aquariums have so far succeeded in captive breeding. JAZA says dolphins from captive breeding account for only 12 to 13 percent of the animals kept in Japan. But these aquariums can share their experience with other institutions. It will also be important for Japanese aquariums to learn from the experience of overseas facilities and strive to increase cooperation among themselves. Large aquariums can play a key role in this effort.

According to the Fisheries Agency, about 70 percent of dolphins kept in aquariums in the United States come from captive breeding and the rest are mostly animals that were rescued because they were injured or otherwise in need of care. They stopped capturing dolphins in the wild about 20 years ago and aquariums cooperate with each other on captive breeding.

The agency says that the basic direction in Europe is also for captive breeding. If building pools dedicated to breeding and raising dolphins is difficult or too costly, Japanese aquariums might consider using the sea for that purpose.

In Japan, aquariums appear to give priority to the entertainment aspect of keeping dolphins. While this may be deemed necessary as a means of attracting visitors to aquariums so they can remain in business, they should also start paying more attention to the educational and research aspects of keeping the animals. Along with the issue of how such animals are acquired, the issue of how they are treated will grow in importance.

The preservation of animal species and the education of the public are also key missions of zoos and aquariums. The Jaza decision to cease buying dolphins caught at Taiji presents aquariums with a good opportunity to improve how they house and display their fish and sea mammals from the viewpoint of animal welfare and improving the educational value of their facilities.