According to The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and reported by CNN, more than 250 bottlenose dolphins await slaughter and capture at Japan’s Taiji Cove.

“Five separate pods of Bottlenose dolphins were driven into Taiji’s infamous killing cove yesterday and held overnight. This now massive pod of more than 250 dolphins includes babies and juveniles, including a rare albino calf who has been clinging as closely as possible to his or her mother in the stress and panic of the drive hunt,” the conservationists warned on Friday.

According to the AFP, 25 dolphins were removed from their pods Saturday for “possible sale to aquariums.” Those that aren’t sold will be killed for their meat.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society reportedly streamed live footage of the dolphin capture. In 2010, AFP notes, the local custom became the subject of an international debate after it was depicted in the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Cove.”

Also in 2010, The Associated Press reported that Taiji residents have extremely high mercury levels, probably because of their love for dolphin and whale meat. According to Japan’s government, the levels of mercury found in Taiji residents were above the national average, but additional tests discovered no negative impacts, according to the National Institute for Minamata Disease.

“If you’re eating dolphin meat, you’re eating poison, and if you’re eating a lot of dolphin meat, you’re eating a lot of poison,” Louis Psihoyos, director of “The Cove,” told The AP during a phone conversation from Los Angeles.

Only 18 days into 2014, this year already looks like another gruesome one for the dolphins in Taiji.

“The new year has already been an extremely bloody and brutal one for the dolphins and small whales in Taiji. Approximately 176 have been slaughtered and 24 taken captive in just 9 days. This includes 4 different species of dolphins, just since the hunt resumed following the holiday break,” the conservationists noted in a news release.

According to National Geographic, The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a well-known marine wildlife welfare and preservation organization and an anti-whaling activisim group. The organization’s mission “is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.”

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