Dolphin killing regretted

Press, 4 March 1978, Page 9

Dolphin killing regretted

; NZPA-Reuter Tokyo ' The Japanese Government has described the slaughter of more than 1000 dolphins by club-wielding fishermen as unfortunate, but says that lit has no powers to prevent such an incident recurring. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said “many” telegrams and letters had been received at Japanese missions abroad protesting at the killing, last month. Fishermen on the southern island of Iki, claiming the dolphins were eating their catch of yellowtail and cuti tiefish, herded the mammals I into an inlet with their boats, then killed them with clubs and knives.

The spokesman said noj laws existed banning the; killing of dolphins and there had been no moves on the matter by the central Government.

The Associated Press reports that a spokesman for the fisheries co-operativt has said that killing of dolphins off the coast of Japan will continue. “It’s a matter of us or thr dolphins,” Mr Tadayosh' Ogawa, head of the anti-do! iphin section Of the co-opei lative, said in a telephon I interview. Mr Ogawa sai 'the co-operative voted o ‘Wednesday to continue kill (ing dolphins despite criti (cism by animal lovers.