From the Ashes: Operation Killing Bay Reborn

Greetings once again everyone! I apologize for the recent silence. Things have gotten very busy over here. First of all I am currently trying to deal with two spamming blogs that are attacking and spamming this blog with advertisements and what not. Hopefully that issue will be resolved soon. In the mean time I'll be running around deleting comments as they pop up. I apologize for the spam. It should be cleaned up soon. The main part of why I've been so busy is that I've been preparing for the fall. Why is that you ask, well if you read the title of this blog, you can probably figure it out for yourself. Yes Operation Killing Bay is back, and it is back in a big way.

As I type this blog imata.org is currently down thanks to Operation Killing Bay. The operation is back and is back with more drive than ever before. The people who are heading this operation know how to get things done and they are determined to see the dolphin slaughter in Taiji come to a grinding halt. As I did last year, I will be following along with the Anonymous Operation Killing Bay. We are not in it for the fame. We are not in it to make money. We are doing this simply to see the lives of innocent dolphins be spared. If you ask me, there are way more than enough dolphins in captivity as it is. There is no reason in the world for anyone to still be taking them out of the wild, let alone making a massive profit off of their suffering.

So Operation Killing Bay sets sail once again. Last year our voices were made well known to Japan and they, along with their enablers wound up taking a lot of damage. Perhaps the worst of that damage was the extent of awareness that grew during the operation. Normally Taiji has to deal with Sea Shepherd and it's supporters along with a few other groups and that's about it. Last year though, the internet became Taiji's worst nightmare and for the first time in several years, Taiji made news headlines. Unlike years prior, it was not just activists and conservationists protesting Taiji. No it was all of that plus an untold number of people who simply browse twitter, facebook, and other social media sites and saw horrific images plastered all over the place. Images that can grab the attention of any feeling person. This will once again be what Taiji has to deal with. They will have to deal with not only Sea Shepherd and other groups on the ground, but they will have to deal with an untold number of people who will be watching with an interest they may not have even had until last year. The numbers against Taiji are growing. The ultimate question is how long will Japan fight? How many marine parks will have to close their doors from people not showing up anymore to drive the price of a dolphin into the dirt?

Once the demand for these animals in captivity dies, Taiji will die. The killing is not tradition. It is not for food. It is 100% for profit. Without a demand for more of these animals there is no profit to be made and those responsible for the killing will financially suffocate if the killings would not end. The fishermen are paid far too much for Japan to allow the killing to continue without captivity being involved. WAZA, IMATA (though your website is currently experiencing technical difficulties lol), Sea World, Georgia Aquarium, and other aquariums around the world that have supported Taiji in the past and present. Change your ways.

Demand that the killings in Taiji stop. Stop being the voices of the powerful and become voices of the voiceless. Do not continue to say one thing and do another. Do not continue to enable these people to kill the animals you claim to love and care so much about.

Sea World, your pockets are hurting badly. Your reputation is in shambles over this issue as well as the orca issue that you continue to fight against tooth and nail. Turn it around. Speak out against the Taiji killings. I'm not typing this as a empty the tank movement. That is not my concern here. My concern is with those animals that are still in the ocean that face a life changing nightmare this year. You are still the most powerful marine park in the world. Make a move for the animals and not for your own self interest. Ignoring the problem is no longer good enough and you are now a full blown Taiji enabler as a result. For the dolphins of Taiji this year it is not too late. Your word is still heavy among other institutions. If you were to start telling them not to buy from Taiji or any other place like it, you would be able to quickly see the animals you claim to love swimming more and more freely. Of course in order for that to happen you would actually have to prove to the world that you actually care about those animals as opposed to seeing them as a profit for the industry.

Operation Killing Bay is back. Stay tuned here and on Twitter using the hashtag #OpKillingBay. Last year we started a new movement. This year it continues!

Hunting NBC's Shark Hunters

Greetings everyone. I hope all is well with you all and you are enjoying your summer or winter, depending on where you are, to the fullest. Today’s blog is going to be another calling out of a T.V. station. For once it will not be Discovery Channel, but I’m sure they’ll be getting theirs once again soon. No today I am going to be blasting NBC. Ironically I probably watch NBC Sports Network more than any other channel as they host most of the NHL games throughout the year. Despite that fact, they still have made a massive programming error that they need to correct sooner, rather than later.

Recently the show Shark Hunters returned to NBC. The last time NBC aired the show, it was quickly taken off the air due to the massive backlash that the company received my shark conservationists and advocates from around the world. I’m not going to go into what the plot of the now six part series is as I am in no shape or form going to promote it or even explain anything about it other than this. This is a show in which fishermen put themselves into “dangerous situations” in order to catch and kill the biggest shark they can in order to win hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is the year 2014 and we have a T.V. show glorifying the killing of sharks. Wow… Just wow… Of all the things that NBC could have come up with… They chose the killing of sharks. Don’t get me wrong. I think all of those stupid hunting shows need to be scrapped. There is no reason to glorify the killing of any animal. Back to this brain-dead show though.

The trailer for the show, which again I refuse to put in this blog, is all that needs to be said about the show. I’m going to dissect it and without even showing you all the video, you will probably be able to get the majority of what this “show” is about. Some of the first words of the trailer are “mystery, danger, fear”. Right off the bat the viewer’s blood is supposed to start pumping. Then we see some old news footage with people in panic over sharks being sighted near swimmers. Very similar to this that happened just days ago in Florida...

(Hammerheads are not even dangerous. Funny how that deadly shark decided not to follow the swimming people right?)

Then we hear the ever so famous “nightmare hunters of the deep”. Sharks are far from nightmare hunters. Far, far from it. The way that a shark hunts is far more complicated than how the idiot fishermen in this show go about killing these animals.Again, we also have that word nightmare. What is a nightmare? Scary. Sharks are scary then? No. This is again, nothing but mere fear mongering in an attempt to grip an audience. It's a shame it works. Following that we have the famous "Show me the way to go home" lyrics from Jaws as we meet those "brave" souls who are going out to try and catch the biggest shark they can to bring home boatloads of cash. The show says it's man vs shark in tournaments about seamanship and courage. I'm sorry, there is nothing courageous about celebrating the death of any animal. The trailer wraps up with the words "this is Shark Hunters". Of course as they say that a bloodied mako shark is being dragged onto the boat. Very nice NBC. Now a claim has come about that the show has a conservation aspect.

The fishermen claim that conservation and science is why they are on the water. That sounds like those trophy hunters that claim they are killing lions and what not for conservation. That's like Japan saying they are killing whales for science. In other words, it's a load of trash. There is zero educational value in this show on any level including conservation. There is no mention of the plight sharks are fighting. No mention that those same kill tournaments are actually a very real threat to local shark populations. No information about tagging or anything like that. Nothing. Oddly enough, these fishermen are exclusively hunting down and killing species of shark that will probably soon be Endangered. All of them are listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN's Red List and include the shortfin mako, thresher, and porbeagle sharks. No folks, this show has nothing to do with conservation or science. This show is NBC literally glorifying the killing of sharks that are threatened with extinction.

NBC ought to be ashamed of themselves for putting this show on their lineup. They are doing everything that conservationists and activists and scientists are trying to change. They are driving fear into the minds of the public by showing overly dramatic scenes of sharks thrashing around on fishing lines. Not for nothing on that, but I'm pretty sure you'd be thrashing around if you were on a hook as well. They are glorifying the killing of these animals with a prize of a massive paycheck. Shark kill tournaments are a very real thing still and it is a danger that many people are now working to change. The populations of mako, thresher, and porbeagle sharks are in decline worldwide and now NBC is promoting the hunting of them. Shame on that network. Discovery Channel may have their faults and may not use their programming how they should, but at least they are not openly promoting the killing of these animals. NBC, cancel your ridiculous show. If you want a "shark hunting show", make it one that involves tagging sharks or something of that nature. Then again, I guess there is no fear do drive ratings and money to inspire people.