Inspirational Izumi Ishii San from Futo Japan
Interview w Izumi Ishii – former dolphin hunter, now dolphin & whale tour guide Was listening to this interview this morning and found it immensely inspirational. Izumi Ishii San from Futo, Japan was a former dolphin hunter and in 2002, he became a (1st) dolphin & whale tour guide around Futo Webpage (he stopped hunting in 1997). Ishii San believes that if other dolphin hunters see his success in ecotourism, they will also end the hunt & take up the “easier/ less physical demanding” work of dolphin & whale guide. He is just 1 person, who persevered & hang onto his belief, Futo gradually stopped dolphin hunting in 2006 (also due to the decrease in num of dolphins in the area) & now there are 5 other boats that help Ishii San with eco-tourism!
During the interview, he says that culture is created by the people – people living in that era… So we, the “younger” people of this era can create a new culture where hunting for dolphins & whales is no longer acceptable, where keeping large marine mammals & fish (whale sharks) is not acceptable, where eating sharks & shark’s fin is also unacceptable. Guess we have to start somewhere! Conservation of tigers, rhinos & such didn’t just happened, come with the years of struggle & hard work of many conservationists/ scientists etc. Let’s do it!
FB page: Chinese United in SUPPORT of CA Shark Fin BAN
Create a new culture, go & LIKE this Facebook page 全球華人支持加州立法禁售魚翅 Chinese United in Support of CA Shark Fin Ban
PS. If I ever were to go to Japan, it would be to join Ishii San’s tour, Or better still, to celebrate the end of dolphin hunting in Taiji & all of Japan! I hope that day will come!
14 March 2011 – Glad to know that Ishii San is safe after the devastating Tsunami that followed the 9.9 earthquake in Japan on 11 March 2011. However, very sad to have read about the 24 Taiji Captured Dolphins Perished…
This area (Otsuchi, Iwate) that up to 10th March 2011 was capturing Dall’s Porpoises was devastated in the Tsunami…
17 March 2011 – Update on Otsuchi, Iwate… Situation looks bleak... Telegraph on Otsuchi (15 Mar 2011)
Kesennuma, Miyagi, used to be the “shark fin capital of Japan”, Kesennuma, Japan (before the tsunami) it was Devastated by the Tsunami. Japan Probe 14 Mar; CNN video 16 Mar; AsiaOne 16 Mar.
A friend asked me how do I feel about all these destruction. I am heart-broken to see so many people dead, families broken, animals/pets dead. Innocents’ lives were lost to the merciless tsunami… Then there is the threat of nuclear radiation, it is really a difficult time for the people, I hope that they will be strong & recover soonest and the communities that used to hunt dolphins/cetaceans & sharks, can have a chance to rebuild their economy doing something else – maybe eco-tourism, I sincerely wish them well.
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