Eyes on Japan dolphin town after arrest

A Dutch supporter of environmentalist group Sea Shepherd, remanded in custody for two months on assault charges, said Friday world attention had been turned on the dolphin hunt town in Japan where he was held. Erwin Vermeulen, 42, was put on remand in Taiji -- made famous by an Oscar-winning documentary -- for allegedly punching a man in December as he was stopped from entering an off-limits area near a secluded bay where the hunts take place. However, a court on Wednesday acquitted him, saying testimony given by the alleged victim was not sufficient for a conviction. Speaking at a news conference on Friday Vermeulen said: "My arrest, detention of two months and the trial have generated worldwide attention for the sake of dolphins in Taiji and for the Sea Shepherd in general. "This exposure was funded by Japanese taxpayers' money." The picturesque town came to global attention in 2010 after the release of "The Cove", a hard-hitting film about the annual hunts won an Academy Award for best documentary. Every year the fishermen of Taiji corral about 2,000 dolphins into a secluded bay, select a few dozen for sale to aquariums and marine parks, and stab the rest to death for meat in a slaughter that turns the water red. Sea Shepherd and its supporters descend on the tiny fishing town in Wakayama prefecture, western Japan, as they try to stop the hunt, often leading to heated disputes. The town's fishermen defend the hunt as a cultural tradition, and "The Cove" was met by protests from right-wing activists when it was screened in Japan. Scott West, a Sea Shepherd "operative" in the intelligence and investigations department, also said Japanese police and prosecutors helped the group's cause by arresting Vermeulen. "The arrest and the intimidation backfired on the Wakayama authorities," West said at Friday's news conference. "Erwin paid the huge price for all of this attention, but it was significantly helpful to the cause."