Japanese fishermen have captured a rare albino dolphin and killed 11 other dolphins in a shallow cove , according to conservation activists protesting the hunt . The albino dolphin currently sits in a small holding pen where it is being trained to eat dead fish and adapt to human interaction , said members of the Sea Shepherd conservationist group , which monitors dolphin hunts in the region . They speculate the rare dolphin will be sold for up to $ 500,000 to be displayed in captivity . The controversial hunt takes place annually between September and March in Taiji , Japan . Most dolphins are killed for their meat , while some are sold live to aquariums around the world . Locals defend the hunt , a long-held tradition , as no different than slaughtering any other animal for meat . But activists say the hunt is driven by greed . `` This brutal hunt is carnage carried out in the name of profit , not culture , '' said Melissa Sehgal , a Sea Shepherd campaign coordinator . `` These dolphins do not belong to Japan ; they belong to the ocean . '' The group says that 15 pods of Risso 's dolphins have been slaughtered in the cove since this year 's hunting season began , with approximately 170 Risso 's dolphins killed . The Taiji Town Office declined CNN 's request for comment on Sea Shepherd 's newest report . READ MORE : Dolphins killed as Taiji 's controversial hunting season resumes . Japan officials defend controversial hunt .
Japanese fishermen have caught a rare albino dolphin and killed several other dolphins . Activists speculate the rare animal will be sold for up to $ 500,000 to be bred in Japan . Residents support the hunt , a long - standing tradition in Japanese town of Taiji .