Kazutaka Sangen, the mayor of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, which conducts annual dolphin drive hunts, said he wants to set up a new association with aquariums wishing to obtain dolphins from the town, NHK reported Wednesday.
Sangen's remarks, which are highly likely to reignite controversy over dolphin hunting, came as the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums decided in May to officially ban its members from buying wild dolphins captured off Taiji and expel aquariums that continue to obtain the mammals from the town.
The association made the decision after the Switzerland-based World Association of Zoos and Aquariums suspended JAZA's membership in April, saying it would expel the group unless it promised to stop acquiring dolphins from Taiji, where drive hunts and annual culls of wild dolphins for sale as food has sparked outrage from animal rights activists.