Dolphin Watching in Amakusa, Kumamoto

When people outside of Japan think of the words “dolphins” and “Japan”, they usually think of the controversial dolphin drive fishery which occurs in the small village of Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture.  The Taiji dolphin drive fishery was made famous (or perhaps it is better to say “infamous”) by the 2009 film “The Cove”.  The film’s graphic images had such a strong impact that, in April 2015, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums suspended the membership of the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums until JAZA agreed to prevent its member aquariums from buying live dolphins caught at Taiji.  

In another Japanese fishing community located in Itsuwa-machi in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, there is a different story of “dolphins” and “Japan”.  According to researchers, about 200 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) live year-round in the waters surrounding Tsujishima Island, and since 1993, fishermen in the area have been conducting dolphin watching tours as a form of ecotourism.  Based on information found on the internet and on signs at the harbor in Itsuwa-machi, there appears to be about 13 companies offering dolphin watching tours, with the usual cost being 2500 yen for an adult ticket.  The advertising materials for these companies boast that their tours have a 98% success rate when it comes to sighting the dolphins, and they promise customers a second boat ride for free if dolphins are not sighted. 

Pictured below is the dolphin watching information center which serves as a focal point for promotion of all of the tour operators. 

Three of the companies offering dolphin watching tours

The pier at the harbor in Itsuwa-machi where many of the tour boats load their passengers

Boat harbor at nearby Tsujishima Island : many of the small fishing boats here appeared to be modified to accommodate dolphin watching passengers.

A sign at the harbor provided basic information about the dolphins’ physical characteristics and a list of dolphin watching rules adopted by the Itsuwa-machi Tourism Association.  Included in the list were rules such as: boats are not to feed or chase the dolphins; boats are not to navigate any closer than 200 meters to the dolphin pods; moving boats are to travel in a direction parallel to the movement of the dolphin pods; and boats are to maintain a distance of at least 30 meters from the dolphins (excluding instances where the dolphins approach the boats.)

Intending to avoid the crowds of peak season, I participated in a dolphin watching tour on a weekday in late February.  Despite the cold weather, there were at least 5 boats out on the water with a total of about 25 customers.  We departed the boat harbor at 10:00 a.m. for what was scheduled to be a 1-hour ride.  The captain of our vessel appeared to be a veteran fisherman, perhaps about 60 to 65 years old.  He was quiet and serious-looking, and I only heard him speak when he instructed us to put on our life jackets when we first boarded the boat.  He provided no narration regarding the dolphins, no interpretation of the tour contents, and not even any salty sea captain stories.  This tour could be described in simple terms as “ride boat, look for dolphins”.  In retrospect, the signboard at the harbor was the biggest source of dolphin information on this day.

When I checked my watch at 10:50, we had still not encountered any dolphins, and I resigned myself to the fact that I would be one of the unlucky 2% of customers who did not see a dolphin.  For all of this time, there had been no other boats travelling anywhere near us on a wide-open sea, and although it had been an enjoyable ride, the ocean wind was cold and I was debating about whether I wanted to invest another hour in a free second boat ride. 

At 10:54 a.m., the captain suddenly gunned the boat engines and changed direction.  A few seconds later, we realized that he had spotted a pod of dolphins to the right side of our boat, a pod that we would end up tracking for the next 20 minutes. The boat captain must have communicated this sighting to the other vessels because within a few minutes the 4 other boats joined us in creating a small flotilla.  The other boats had congregated so quickly, it seemed like they had come out of nowhere.  The captain alternately sped up and slowed down, maneuvering our vessel in a course parallel to the path of the pod. 

I was able to get fairly good views of the dolphins as they swam a parallel course to the boat, sometimes only 20 to 30 meters from my camera. 

Dolphin Watching or Dolphin Chasing?

Despite the rules ostensibly prohibiting dolphin chasing, the maneuvers executed by the various tour boats at times certainly made me feel that we were engaged in some sort of pursuit.  The boats often jockeyed for the best viewing positions, changing course, weaving between other boats, speeding up, and slowing down.

After seemingly tolerating the presence of the boats for a while, the pod of dolphins would submerge, thereby throwing off the pursuing fleet.  But each time the dolphins would return to the surface, the boat captains would gun their engines and repeat the process.  (A paper written by Japanese researchers reported that increases in the number of dolphin-watching boats caused the Amakusa dolphin pods to increase the amount of time they spent underwater, and to decrease the amount of time between their surfacing and subsequent diving.  This paper suggested a need for limits on the number of boats allowed to approach each dolphin pod.)

The entire pursuit scene reminded me of the wacky-racer drivers I witnessed while doing tiger tours in India.  Perhaps similarities are inevitable considering the fact that both tours involve searching for wild animals whose movements can be neither controlled nor dependably predicted, and the fact that many tour participants seem less concerned about preservation of the wild and more concerned about whether they will be able to spot the target animals and take a “selfie” photograph.

Interestingly, the day prior to my boat ride, I was able to observe a group of 3 dolphin-watching boats floating about 500 meters off the shore of Tsujishima Island.  From my land-based vantage point, it appeared that the boats were drifting in the current (or moving very slowly) very close to a pod of dolphins.  I guess that when the dolphins are in the mood, they can prove to be quite friendly to the tourists. 

I wonder if they posed for any “selfies”.

(Note: All photos taken in this post were taken during a visit on February 22, 2016.  The comments in this post are based on observations made on that day.  Conditions may have since changed.)

Nifrel

On its homepage and brochures, the Nifrel aquarium describes itself as a “living museum”.  After walking through this new and fancy facility, one comes to the conclusion that the “museum” reference is to “art museum” rather than “natural history museum” or “science museum”.  The facility has two floors and is divided into what is promoted as “seven zones moving your sensitivity”.  Granted, some zones are visually striking and have a certain amount of appeal to the aesthetic senses, but the overall facility seems a bit stingy in terms of providing information about the aquatic creatures and their natural environments.  I will describe the zones in the order that visitors encounter them.

“Colors”

This first zone features soft lighting which slowly changes color from blue to red to yellow to green.  

There are 13 tanks in this zone, each about the size of a large home aquarium, and each contains creatures that appear to have been chosen mainly for their distinctive colors. Small explanation cards in each tank provide only basic information about each species.

“Abilities”

Upon entering this large room, one feels the sensation of walking into a school science laboratory.  The lighting is bright and stark, and the specimen tanks of various sizes have limited features and are arranged in a layout designed for ease of observation and viewing. The emphasis in this section seems to be on showcasing each creature’s unique physical characteristics, with minimal effort expended to replicate natural environments. 

The below exhibit housed two horseshoe crabs.  There were only a handful of objects placed in the tank and no sand or other surface material.  It seemed quite barren.

This shark tank was about 5 meters long by 5 meters wide and about 1 meter deep. The two tawny nurse sharks in this tank looked like they were about 2.5 to 3 meters long, and appeared to be of a docile nature.  Since there wasn’t a cover on the tank, I will deduce that these sharks don’t do any jumping.

The adjacent tank was about 4 meters wide by 5 meters long and about 1.5 meters deep.  It contained a zebra shark, a pelagic ray, a giant grouper, and a large humphead wrasse.  This display was also quite simple with few decorative features.

“Shapes”

Entering this room felt like walking into some kind of science-fiction space movie. This room was dark, with the main lighting sources being the tanks themselves. The room also featured full-length mirrored walls which created the illusion that the room was many times larger than it actually was.  The inhabitants of each tank appeared to have been chosen for their unique body shapes, and as in the previous zones, the small explanation cards located in each tank provided only a little information about the fascinating residents wherein.

“Wonder Moments”

This large two-storied room featured an art installation that included a 10-minute video projected onto a giant mirror-ball hanging from the ceiling.  It is in this section where visitors use an escalator to ascend from the first floor to the second floor.

“Waterside”

This zone was separated into two distinct areas.  The first of the two areas featured tanks housing creatures found in fresh water environments. The overall green lighting in this room helped create a very peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.  Additionally, the tanks in this room had simulated environments featuring the use of green plants. 

The second room of the waterside zone featured 3 enclosures each housing a single large animal: a white tiger, a pygmy hippopotamus, and a saltwater crocodile.  And although the spaces provided for each of these animals were the largest in this facility, they somehow seemed to be relatively small considering the size of the resident creatures.

The white tiger enclosure featured an overhead corridor for the tiger to walk around, and a pool that seemed to occupy half of the enclosure’s floor space. 

The inclusion of a white tiger in this collection seemed to be a bit questionable.  The animal seemed somewhat out-of-place and inconsistent with the other aquatic exhibits of this particular aquarium.  One might imagine that it was included in this collection mainly because of its ability to attract paying visitors who will buy lots of white tiger merchandise.  Also to be considered is the issue of whether the inclusion of a color-morph animal might teach visitors the wrong lessons regarding wildlife conservation.  (Because of the negative aspects and health risks associated with intentionally inbreeding animals to achieve rare color-morphs like white tigers, many zoos do not keep white tigers.)  Whatever the reasons for including a white tiger here, it slept for most of the 30 minutes or so that I spent in front of his enclosure.

The large tank for the salt-water crocodile seemed like it was designed to be a swimming pool for humans.

Pygmy hippopotamus

“Behavior”

This zone was designed to allow visitors to get extremely close to a number of small mammals and birds.

Asian small-clawed otter enclosure made of two large glass tanks connected by a clear plastic tube.

American beaver

Open area with Capybaras and various species of birds such as Toco toucans, Green turacos, Victoria crowned pigeons, and Burrowing owls.

African penguins 

White pelicans

“Biodiversity”

This last zone was a mini-theatre which showed a short film showcasing different types of animals in various environments.  I thought it was artistically interesting, but short of animal information.

Food and Souvenirs

There was a food concession on the second floor in the area near the white tiger/ pygmy hippopotamus/ salt-water crocodile enclosures.

Beef and lotus root burger with French fries and a Coca-cola: 1,150 yen.

In order to exit the aquarium, visitors must walk through the souvenir shop.

There was a great abundance of white tiger-themed goods: stuffed animals, cookies, pencils, etc.

Getting There

Visitors should take the Osaka Monorail to the “Banpaku Kinen Kouen” station.  After exiting the ticket gates, turn left and walk down the sloping ramp.  Nifrel is directly in front of you.  Admission for adults and high school students was 1900 yen.  Children in elementary school and intermediate school got in for 1000 yen.  Children not yet in school but 3 years old or over got in for 600 yen.  Nifrel is also part of the EXPO CITY shopping mall complex where visitors can find many places to eat or shop.

(Note: All photos taken in this post were taken during a visit on January 7, 2016.  The comments in this post are based on observations made on that day.  Conditions may have since changed.  Please check it out for yourself!)