Be a Dolphin's Friend

People all over the world have greeted the news of the start of the dolphin slaughter in Taiji Japan with sadness, shock and fury. The Cove has highlighted some very gruesome and inhumane practices around dolphin capture and slaughter - a regular event in this Japanese town – and brought it to the centre of international attention.

So instead of the usual blog, I thought I would just do a listing of organisations working to save dolphins and marine mammals so concerned individuals can find further info and get involved in their own way. While we can’t all stand on picket lines or make compelling documentary films, we can support those groups devoted to protecting marine mammals such as dolphins, whales and porpoises. Campaigns depend on individuals to make them a success so I hope you find the info handy and useful (and this is nothing near being an exhaustive or definitive list so if you know of more organisations, please publicise them.

Dolphins in Japan

Save Japan Dolphins
For the latest and info on actions you can take. There is a pledge on swimming with dolphins and captive dolphin shows.

Dolphins in captivity
A cruel aspect of the dolphin hunt highlighted in The Cove is the trade in captured dolphins. It may seem like good ole family fun to take the kids to a dolphin show but the dolphins suffer greatly as a result. Similarly, there are “dolphinariums” where paying customers can swim or snorkel with captured dolphins. The animals may appear content but research has shown detrimental effects on their health and welfare.

Marine Connections – a UK-based charity working for the welfare of dolphins and whales. They have a campaign on captured marine mammals:

Born Free Foundation – an international animal welfare organisation based in the UK – has an informative page on captive dolphins

Humane Society USA’s page on marine mammals in captivity

Marine mammal protection and seafood/preventing by-catch deaths
It’s not just the outright killing but also bycatch (the untargeted and unintentional marine life caught by commercial fishers) to which dolphins fall victim.


Greenpeace’s page on bycatch at sea

Wildlife Trust (UK) has a campaign on dolphin entanglement deaths.

Earth Trust (US) has a project on driftnetting.

Other marine mammal information and campaigns

World Wildlife Fund Protecting river dolphins in South America:

Ocean Conservation Society (US-based) - researching and educating about marine life

Petitions
There are many online. Have a look through Facebook or Twitter.

Here is a fairly well-subscribed one in Facebook titled “Stop the Dolphin and Whale Slaughter in Taiji, Japan”

Another one from Care2: End Dolphin Slaughtering in Japan

Eating greener and losing weight

I must admit that I’ve never been on a conventional “diet” – always hated the notion of regimenting and planning my food. I’d never been overweight and counting calories sounded just daft. Any time a friend or colleague told me about being in some weight loss group or expensive diet, I replied “Why?” or “You’re spending how much to have someone tell you cake is fattening?”

However, age and increasing inactivity had taken their toll on my waisteline. There was the tell-tale signs of a muffin top and I just didn’t feel fit and lean. I wanted to get back into shape and at the same time, to adhere to an ethical/greener eating plan. This was going to be interesting and informative.

I must also confess that I’ve never been a vegetarian (although I don’t ever complain or refuse a good vegetarian meal).

Let the common sense begin
There is some kind of craze about part-time veganism amongst diet-obsessed celebrities. But after trimming away the confusing pseudo-medical/scientific talk by its medical proponents you realise that this just means decreasing your meat and fish intake. Also, having spoken to strict raw vegans, I thought there was something worthwhile there. So I came up with a hybrid and modified version of an eating plan. The rules being:

• No pre-prepared foods
• Less meat, fish and eggs (and the animal products consumed must be free range, organic or ocean-friendly)
• No dairy products
• When it can be eaten raw, eat it raw

So a month ago, I stocked my fridge with more than the usual quantity of fruit and vegetable – did my best to purchase produce labelled “local” from the local grocers. I am trying everything to avoid the big supermarkets these days. The 100 mile radius is a very useful rule or guideline but I have to confess that it’s more guidelines than rules for me at the moment.

Organic is too expensive?
The prices of organic produce used to make my eyes pop but considering how the large operators make their money on volume and scale, it’s more a case of the supermarkets being cheap rather than the small scale organic producers being expensive. Also, I realise now that good food and cheap food are contradiction in terms. If you want to eat healthily and ethically, you have to consider the welfare of the environment, animals and the people who work to produce and deliver the food to our tables.

Even if I wanted to discard “green” eating principles, I still will want to eat the local and organic produce from the farmers’ markets for the simple reason of taste. Fresher local produce just taste better.

Bad food equals empty calories
There are no pre-prepared or quick snack foods in my home now. If I get hungry, it’s a carrot or fruit. It’s good to remind yourself that stuffing yourself silly (the feeling you get after a massive restaurant meal laden with meat, fat and starch) is neither natural nor good.

The reason for the effectiveness of this eating plan is I’ve cut out empty calories. It’s very easy to see why there are very few overweight vegans (and even fewer overweight raw vegans). When your sources of calories are limited, you make the most of them. So by default, I have avoided foods with added sugar and foods high in fat - easy when you make a concerted effort to eat raw produce.

By not consuming packaged and ready-to-eat items, I’ve taken control over what is done to my food. No food is worth being fat for and certainly, no bad food is worth being fat for. The shrinking waistline is a welcome by-product of eating greener. Honestly, it’s no gimmick but a lot of common sense.