Coastal whaling season opens in Taiji

Coastal whaling season opens in Taiji

TAIJI, Japan - Coastal whalers chase a school of short-fin pilot whales off the coast of Taiji, a whaling town in Wakayama Prefecture, on Sept. 1, the opening day of the pilot whale hunting season. Ten pilot whales were caught, according to the local fishery cooperative. One pilot whale is expected to fetch around 250,000 yen at the local auction market.

10 whales found beached in Ibaraki

10 whales found beached in Ibaraki

HASAKI, Japan - Local residents try to push a beached whale back to the open sea in the town of Hasaki in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Feb. 24. Ten whales measuring 2 to 3 meters in length were found washed ashore earlier in the day in the town, three of them already dead. The other seven whales were pushed back into the sea.

Coastal whaling season opens in Taiji

Coastal whaling season opens in Taiji

TAIJI, Japan - Coastal whalers chase a school of short-fin pilot whales off the coast of Taiji, a whaling town in Wakayama Prefecture, on Sept. 1, the opening day of the pilot whale hunting season. Ten pilot whales were caught, according to the local fishery cooperative. One pilot whale is expected to fetch around 250,000 yen at the local auction market. (Kyodo)

10 whales found beached in Ibaraki

10 whales found beached in Ibaraki

HASAKI, Japan - Local residents try to push a beached whale back to the open sea in the town of Hasaki in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, on Feb. 24. Ten whales measuring 2 to 3 meters in length were found washed ashore earlier in the day in the town, three of them already dead. The other seven whales were pushed back into the sea.