Japans government allowing the dolphin, porpoise and small whale slaughter can not be legal since they are not fish. Japan said that this is no different than the slaughtering of other animals. They compare this to cows, pigs and so on. When you look at this the cetaceans are intelligent beings that are studied world wide by scientist that are the brightest minds of this world. ( SETI ) the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence even NASA did a study on them. They study dolphin and whale for their language and their intelligence. They are not studying cows, pigs or other animals of slaughter. Going back to ancient times their are writings of dolphins saving people as it is today where dolphins are still saving humans and other animals. If these dolphins are saving humans and or protecting them they should be protected as well. People will say that dogs and a few other animals will save people. The difference is that dolphins do this in the wild and the other animals are domesticated. A wild dog would run from a human or try to kill the person in the wild.
They are like having a Coast Guard that save human and other animal lives. You do not find this with other animals of slaughter. There are countries around the world that have dolphins in their military programs to protect their military fleets. ( Soldiers ) You do not see this with other animals of slaughter. There are an endless list of dolphinariums, aquariums , sea parks or entertainment parks for dolphins, porpoises and small whales. You do not find this with other animals of slaughter. In Japan they will use one truck to transport a cetacean and or pay an airline to transport one cetacean. With other animals of slaughter they will use one truck or airline to transport many animals at one time to be transported not just one animal at a time as they do with the cetaceans. Dolphins are well known for solving problems, they are self aware, have babies and or children. Have organs as humans do and feel pain in the same manner as humans. Then you look at a heart it works in one way only whether it be a human heart or a animals heart. Its no different with a brain whether its a human brain or a animal brain. Anyone to come out and say that the cetaceans don't feel pain is just an idiot and deserves to be treated as such. I'm sorry that I had to use cows, pigs and other animals of slaughter but this is based on Japans terms of that dolphins, porpoises and small whales are the same or no different than other animals of slaughter or food. Japan wants everyone to believe that this is a their tradition in eating the cetaceans and that it is their right. The capture and killing of the cetaceans is a business where they sell the cetacean meat as fertilizer and pet food. The sale of the cetaceans to other countries is a international business.