Sales of dolphin and other small cetaceans caught in controversial drive hunts in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, increased by almost 40 percent in the eight months to April, data showed.
Despite the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums introducing a ban last May on purchasing dolphins from drives, the Wakayama Prefectural Government data showed fishermen caught 936 cetaceans using the method during the September to April hunting season — virtually unchanged from 937 the previous season.
Of the 936, 117 were sold to aquariums unaffiliated with the association or to dealers, up from 84 the previous year.