The controversial six-month dolphin hunting season has begun in Japan, but bad weather has delayed the slaughter.

People from the southwestern town of Taiji corral hundreds of dolphins into a secluded bay and butcher them each year.

The practice was thrust into the global spotlight in 2010 when it became the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove.

An official says environmental campaigners are already in place to watch the hunt.

– Newstalk ZB