As a former vegetarian, I am completely on board with animal rights. The only reason I began eating meat again was because of health problems. Therefore, I understand the consumption of chicken and other meats for nutrients, but I don't see the point in slaying animals that will only lead to health risks. Why kill dolphins to eat when you are only subjecting yourself to unhealthy mercury levels, and thus producing the exact opposite of health benefits?
I understand that tradition is a big deal, particularly in Eastern countries. But this specific tradition should be minimized, so as not to risk the health of Japanese citizens. If there was a festival each year where people ate the dolphin meat, it would then not only be an isolated occurrence, but dolphin meat consumption, and therefore mercury consumption would decrease because citizens would not be eating it as much or as frequently.
We must also understand that these animals have feelings just as we humans do (yeah, I'm a hippie, I know). It might be a hard idea to grasp, but these animals live and feel and yes--they have emotions. Not only are these fishermen/hunters cruelly killing some of these animals, but they are also subjecting the survivors to emotional trauma. As Hana pointed out, when these animals are separated from their mother, for example, they can suffer from depression. This can often cause animals to lose weight, and eventually decrease the population size as a whole. So, not only are the hunters directly killing a species by spearing dolphins, but they are also indirectly killing a species by inducing emotional trauma.
It does seem that dolphins are an animal that even meat eaters can get on board protecting. I wonder why this is. Is it a way to feel better about our own meat eating, by saying, we aren't the really bad ones? If you've ever seen the pleasantburg chicken truck, this is harder to keep telling yourself.
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