Over eight years 1 passed since the Oscar-winning film, The Cove, brought Taiji, an isolated corner of Japan’s Pacific coast, into the spotlight. It found 2 at the centre of a bitter debate over the pursuit of dolphins for human consumption and entertainment. The film showed graphic footage of dolphins being slaughtered with knives and turning the sea 3 it a crimson red. This shocked audiences 4 over the world. Being unaccustomed to international attention, the town’s residents were wrong footed by 5 social media-savvy opponents. Consequently, they simply chose to clam 6 and go to ground. Requests for interviews with town officials went unanswered; the fishermen preferring 7 to take a vow of silence. Taiji’s fishermen kept their counsel for years, for which there was much criticism. Now they have finally spoken 8, agreeing to talk about their work, their whaling heritage, and their determination to continue hunting dolphins.