A Message From Ric O'Barry

It's hard to believe the year is drawing to an end, and what a year it has been!

Your support has led to some of our most important successes - things that just two years ago I wasn't sure would be possible: Here are just a few of the highlights:




We opened "The Cove" in Japan despite intense opposition, and received unprecedented coverage of the issue. Before "The Cove" came out, I was beating down the doors of media in Japan begging them to cover the story. After "The Cove," they met me at the airport and followed us to almost every location. Our press conference was attended by over 100 media representatives, including every major broadcast outlet. We still have a lot of work to do, but the secret is now out!

Japan is one of three nations hunting dolphins. The other two are The Faroe Islands and The Solomon Islands. Because of your support, we were able to negotiate a deal that ENDS the majority of hunting in The Solomon Islands. We estimate that around 2000 dolphins will be saved each year.

You all took unprecedented actions. Almost 100 of you went back to Japan with me at the beginning of the hunting season to present our petition signatures (1.7 million at the time.) More still called or showed up at Japanese Embassies and Consulate offices in Miami, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, London, Toronto, Ottawa, Dublin, Cape Town, the Philippines, Canberra, Hong Kong, and more. Activists from all over the world and many different organizations are now on the ground monitoring the fisherman daily.

We were called to Egypt, where we found four dolphins from Taiji languishing in someone's backyard pool. Working with local activists from HEPCA we were able to get them moved and the city passed a ban on all imports from Taiji.

Again, and I can't say this enough, we couldn't do any of this without YOU. And we still have a long way to go - in Japan especially - but know that with your continued support we'll be able to do much more.

Thank you for all that you do!

Ric O'Barry
Campaign Director
Save Japan Dolphins

An Open Letter To The Mayor of Taiji

December 1, 2010

Mayor Kazutaka Sangen

Taiji-cho Town Hall
3767-1 Taiji-cho
Higashimuro-gun
Wakayama Prefecture
649-5171 Japan

I hope you and the people of Taiji are doing well.

As you know, I chose not to take part in your meeting in Taiji on November 2nd, because I felt the restrictions placed on participants and media were unfair and restricted the dialog that we both are seeking.

I would, as an alternative, propose that you and I meet in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club for an open meeting without restrictions on either the participants or the media.

I would like to come in the spirit of mutual understanding and free flow of discussion.

I and my organization have a long history of engaging in peaceful efforts to save dolphins around the world. We believe hunts of this nature are not good for dolphins or humans. We have long expressed our concerns for people who eat dolphin meat, including those in Taiji, the Faroe Islands, and the Solomon Islands.

We have great respect for the people of Taiji and the people of Japan, and we have never broken any laws. Nor do we support a boycott of Japan, unlike other organizations.

We believe open discussion and finding alternatives for the hunts is the best way to address these issues.

We still believe that it would be constructive at this time to have a dialogue.Thank you for your consideration of having a meeting with me in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club at a time we can mutually agree on.

With respect and humility,

Richard O’Barry
Campaign Director
Save Japan Dolphins
Earth Island Institute

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〒649-5171

和歌山県東牟婁郡太地町３７６７－１

太地町役場　

町長　三軒一高殿

拝啓　寒冷の候　町長殿及び太地町民の皆様には益々ご清祥のことと存じ上げます。

さて、ご存知の通り、去る１１月２日に行われた意見交換会への参加を勝手ながら見合わせましたのは、参加者と報道陣に課された規制が不当なものであると判断し、双方が望んでいる対話に制約が生じたためでございます。

代わりに、以下の提案をさせていただきたく存じます。町長殿と私が東京の外国人記者クラブにおいて、参加者と報道陣に規制をかけずに、オープンな形で会合を持つことは可能でしょうか？

相互理解の姿勢をもって、自由な雰囲気のもとに、会合に臨みたいと存じます。

私および私共の団体は、世界中のイルカを救うために長い間平和的努力を重ねてまいりました。太地町で行われているようなイルカ漁は、イルカにとっても人間にとっても望ましくないと信じております。太地町、フェロー諸島、ソロモン諸島等の住民でイルカ肉を食する人々に対し、これまで長い間懸念を示してまいりました。

私共は、太地町の住民および日本国民の皆様に対し敬意を払っており、これまで法に反することは行っておりません。他の団体と異なり、日本国や日本製品をボイコットするようなことは支持しておりません。オープンな形で話し合いを持つこと、及びイルカ漁に代わる産業をみつけることがこの問題に関する最善策であると信じております。

現時点で対話の機会が持てれば、建設的であろうと未だ信じております。是非とも、町長殿と私にとって都合が良いタイミングで東京の外国人記者クラブにて会合を持てることをご検討頂けますように、お願い申し上げます。

敬具

2010年12月１日

アース・アイランド研究所「日本のイルカを救おう」

キャンペーン・ディレクター　リチャード・オバリー

太地町長　三軒一高殿