Capture & Trade

There are many methods employed to catch cetacean species. One method is the seine net. The seine net is a large fish net positioned vertically in shallow water, via weights at the bottom and floats at the top. Boats are used in conjunction with the net. The boats are used to herd the animals toward the net. When the animal is entangled in the net, it is pulled tight from the bottom and pulled up to the surface. Animals are then removed from it and placed into shallow cages and or slings. Unfortunately, with this method dolphins (or any cetacean species) may become trapped below the surface and subsequently drown (Animal Welfare Institute, 2024).

(Gammon, 2022)

One of the most brutal capture methods is referred to as the "drive hunt" method. This capture method uses many small boats to drive dolphins towards shallow bays with narrow mouths. Once the pod is driven into the bay the opening is closed off with a large net. The exhausted dolphins are then scrutinized for suitability for captivity, those that are deemed unsuitable are butchered for meat. It should also be noted that live dolphins are worth much more than meat, therefore hunters are more apt to sell them to aquariums than for consumption. This method of capture is mainly conducted in Japan (Animal Welfare Institute, 2024).

After animals are caught, they can be shipped via land, sea, or air. Typically, they can be held in wet slings, small tanks with no water filtration or in sea cages (Animal Welfare Institute, 2024).

Capture & Trade

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