Drive hunts are when dolphins and small whales at sea are herded by boats into a cove area where they are either killed or selected alive for sale to marine parks and aquariums across the globe. The Japanese hunts are the biggest single slaughter of whales and dolphins in the world involving drive and hand-held harpoon hunts.It has been documented that some dolphins have taken more than thirty minutes to die. In the cove at Taiji in Japan, some of the dolphins rounded up are selected for use in dolphin shows but many die of shock before they make it to waiting transport. Japanese 'drive hunts' kill nearly 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and small whales every year. Dolphin meat is sold in stores throughout Japan. What is never included on the label are the levels of mercury, methyl mercury, cadmium, DDT and PCBs. One or more of these contaminants pollute almost all of the dolphin meat for sale in Japan. These substances can make Japanese people very ill.