JAPAN-ENVIRONMENT: Popularity of Aquariums Worries Activists

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Jul 11 1996 (IPS) - The growing popularity of aquariums in Japan is cause for concern among conservationists and animal rights activists who say aquarium owners are making huge profits at the expense of marine life.

The aquariums in question are not the small ones commonly found in the home — although owners of these too are under fire from environmentalists who accuse rich Japanese of importing endangered species — but the large glass tanks that have on display a range of marine life, including dolphins and seals.

“While other countries are decreasing such abusive practices such as dolphin shows, Japanese aquariums are making such entertainment a selling point,” noted animal rights activist William Travers, director of the Britain-based Born Free Foundation.

Conservationists say that many fish die due to the poor quality of the water in the aquariums and because of the stressful conditions created by living in captivity.

“Large fish such as tuna are forced to swim in small areas for hours with no release. There are many fish suffering from eye problems are many that are deformed as a result,” said Dr Eiji Fujiwara who heads the Action Network Against Aquariums in Japan.

Not so, say aquarium owners. They argue that the aquariums provide safe havens for endangered marine life and at the same time are of educational value for a public that may otherwise not be able get close-ups of the species.

“Aquariums are places where human beings can watch and observe ecology and the lifestyles of marine life,” says Tomoka Kondo, spokesperson for Kasai Rinkai Aquarium, one of Japan’s biggest and most successful sea parks.

In the absence of concrete data, it is difficult to determine how many, if any, fish and mammal species held captive in Japanese aquariums, die prematurely as a result of being taken out of their natural environment.

Even Fujiwara admits it is “difficult to get information” on what goes on behind-the-scenes at sea parks largely because the owners fear a bad Press. “We are kept completely in the dark which is making the education of the public about aquariums an uphill task,” says Fujiwara.

However, there are clearly profits to be made in Japan and worldwide, judging by the amount of sea parks that have sprung up in Japan over the past seven years, and the wide range of participants at last month’s Fourth International Aquarium Congress, held in Tokyo.

Kasai, built in 1989, was one of the first such sea parks in Tokyo. Today, there are more than 70 commercial aquariums across Japan.

Kasai, with more than 500 species of marine life on display, attracts around two million visitors annually, with an adult admission of 2,400 yen (about 24 dollars). Overall, more than 33 million people visited aquariums in 1992.

The success of the Japanese aquarium owners lured businessmen and researchers from 28 countries to Tokyo for last month’s international conference at which the various interest groups discussed was of developing the “perfect aquarium” by the turn of the century.

Activists, who say they were not allowed active participation at the conference, claim that the participants skirted the issue of animal rights and rather concentrated on the business aspect of the industry.

One expert on sea mammals at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, sees both sides of the picture. He notes aquariums are here to stay, but at the same time says if the species held in captivity are not properly cared for, the industry would not be “sustainable”.

Strict regulations on the upkeep of aquariums must be put in place, he says.

For the time being, environmentalists insists much of the marine life on display at most aquariums in Japan are subjected to what in human terms, would be regarded as torture.

A document distributed by the Dolphin and Whale Action Network at the conference described aquariums as “cruel places” where highly intelligent creatures like dolphins are, unknowing to the paying public, “starved” into performing tricks.

“The only way to get dolphins to perform is to almost starve them. Many of them die as a result of being starved for long periods of time,” explained Hemmi Sakai of the Network.

Moreover, the rapid growth of the aquarium industry, can impact on the sea population of dolphins, the most popular attraction at the sea parks.

Fishermen in the coastal town of Taiji, a key base for dolphin and whale hunting, are the major suppliers for Japanese aquariums. Published reports show that in 1994, Taiji fishermen caught 620 bottle-nosed dolphins in the hope of selling them to aquarium owners.

The discriminating owners, who prefer young females because they are easier to train, only bought 20.