A town whose annual dolphin hunt was bloodily depicted in the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove" is hosting the first-ever meeting between antihunting activists and its fishermen to try to find common ground between the two sides.

The film portrayed the fishermen from Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, who herd dolphins into a cove and stab them to death, turning the waters red with blood. It led to international condemnation of the hunt, but the people in Taiji defend the slaughter as a tradition and livelihood that will continue.

The participants in the Nov. 2 meeting will include Ric O'Barry, former trainer for the 1960s "Flipper" TV series and star of "The Cove"; Kazutaka Sangen, the mayor of Taiji; other city officials; and members of the fisheries union, both sides said.