Lot More Sea Bathers Suffer Dolphin Bites in Fukui Pref. This Summer
Mihama, Fukui Pref., Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)--This summer, 15 sea bathers suffered from dolphin bites in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, according to a recent Japan Coast Guard report.
Such wild dolphin attack cases have been on a rise since around 2022, with the number of bite-caused injuries in summer 2024 tripling from five a year earlier, the Tsuruga Coast Guard Office's report showed.
All those who were bitten this year were tourists from other prefectures.
Authorities should work out measures to get visitors fully aware of dolphin attack risks in advance, experts say.
On Aug. 3, a 10-year-old boy from Mie Prefecture was bitten by a dolphin while swimming at Tanoura Beach in the city of Tsuruga and got around 30 stitches on his right hand.
A 24-year-old man from Aichi Prefecture had seven stitches after a dolphin chiefly bit his fingers while he was swimming at Suishohama Beach in the town of Mihama.
Naohisa Shimada, 64, a water sports instructor in the city of Fukui, said he teaches his students "not to put their hands near a dolphin's head if they ever encounter the sea mammal."
Tadamichi Morisaka, professor at Mie University, pointed out after his field research that all attacks could have been done by a single male Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin.
Unable to fit in a pod in Nanao Bay in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture, the lone dolphin headed south down to Fukui beaches to find someone to play with, Morisaka guesses. "He probably bites to express his desire to play."
The municipal governments concerned rushed to alert beachgoers of the danger of a biting dolphin, calling them not to come close to any dolphins.
In addition, the city of Fukui and some other municipalities set up devices at beaches emitting sounds that repel dolphins. But Morisaka said they may not bring long-term effects because dolphins will get used to the sounds after a while.
"We can only keep urging people to get out of the sea immediately if they see a dolphin, regardless of what time of year it is," Tsuruga coast guard division chief Shoichi Takeuchi said.
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