LOS ANGELES - First comes the noise: a systematic banging of metal poles underwater, a wall of sound that frightens the dolphins and sends them scurrying in the opposite direction.

Then comes the capture: Japanese fisherman drive these dolphins into a hidden cove, ensnaring them in their nets before deciding which should be sold to marine parks and which should be slaughtered for their meat.

Last comes the kill: They spear the creatures, haul them into their boats and take off, motoring through the bloody water, leaving behind what looks like a punchbowl of death.