Dolphins’ friend, Dexter Cate, begins trial

Press, 10 April 1980, Page 9

Dolphins’ friend, Dexter Cate, begins trial

NZPA-Reuter Tokyo; I The prosecution opened its; case yesterday against a Hawaiian conservationist, Dexter Cate, aged 36, charged with forcible obstruction of business for allegedly cutti: , fishing nets holding about 300 dolphins. The dolphins were netted by fishermen of Iki Island, in southern Japan, during the first week of March. The fishermen claiming the dolphins ate large quantities of commercially valuable fish, killed about 800 dolphins on the beach of Iki Island and g ound up the carcases for pig food and fertiliser.

I Cate, a member of the! 'Greenpece Foundation,! ■ went tc Iki Island with hi s i wife, Stsan. The prosecution! !yesterdy contended that Cate lid gone out in a, kayak during the night of! March' and cut fishing nets holdinfabout 300 dolpins. The/rial is being held at the Ssebo branch of the i.agaski District Court. If conviced, Cate faces a maximum f sentence of up to three ‘/ears in prison or a fine 4 $l3OO. He has been held sft the Sasebo prison since Vlarch 8. ! •MrSteve Sipman,' a Catej supprter from Honolulu, said pate’s defence attorney!

would ask today for a delay of the trial until the end of April. The defence attorney will argue that documents on dolphins must be translated into Japanese.

j Mr Sipman said a convention in Washington, D.C., of the International Whaling Commission would consider the ethics of killing ocean mammals such as dolphins and whales. The defence ‘ attorney wanted the trial to be postponed until scientific tesimony from the Whaling Commission’s convention could be translated and used as evidence in the Cate trial, Mr Sipman said.