I really do not go to the movies very often. At $12.50 a pop I usually wait for it to come out on DVD. However, if something really catches my interest, I make an exception. I made an exception for The Cove. I had read very little about this movie, besides that it was about a small Japanese town that slaughters thousands of dolphins. Immediately, I was interested because I have a soft spot for animals.
I think a lot of environmentalists get a bad rap because a lot of people just assume we all want to save the whales. "Saving the whales" and "hugging trees" have become slurs used to poke fun at people who are dedicated to environmental causes. But, saving the whales is a very important environmental concern that has both public health and ecosystem ramifications.
SPOILER ALERT: I am going to discuss the film in some detail, so if you are planning to see it, stop reading here and come back and read this post after.
The movie is directed by Louie Psihoyos, who is one of the main characters in the film. Louie teamed up with Ric O'Barry, the former trainer of all the Flipper dolphins. Ric O'Barry feels personally responsible for the capture and commercialization of dolphins around the world and is now an advocate to end these practices. His main focus is the town of Taiji, Japan. Every year the fishermen of Taiji round up dolphins by banging on poles to disorient the dolphins by messing with their sonar. They corral them into the bay and allow dolphin trainers to choose the choice dolphins that would make the best entertainers. They then take the rest of the dolphins into the cove (hence, the title) and ruthlessly slaughter them in a very non-humane way. The dolphins are butchered for their meat which is sold as other types of meat. Psihoyos, O'Barry and a team of secret ops capture the gruesome slaughter on film and believe me, it is very hard to watch.
Here are the major issues highlighted in this film. Killing and capturing thousands of dolphins every year upsets the ocean's ecosystems. The depletion of dolphins upsets the food chain and it is extremely difficult to restore.
There are public health implications as well because dolphin meat is very high in mercury. The higher up on the food chain an animal is the higher the concentration of mercury in their meat. In Taiji the meat is a whopping 2000 ppm (parts per million) and the acceptable level is .04 ppm. That's quite a difference. Mercury poisoning from fish can lead to severe neurological disorders in developing fetuses and young children. See Minamata Disease. Dolphin meat was being consumed in Taiji schools and many people fear a repeat of Minamata.
I am somewhat familiar with the International Whaling Commission from watching Whale Wars. It doesn't seem like their rules and regulations are enforced too strongly. The IWC limits how many whales and other cetaceans can be killed in a year. The Japanese Whaling Commission justifies their many killings by calling it research and also using the lamest excuse ever- the dolphins and whales are eating the fish supply that the Japanese people depend on.
All of my ramblings are just a way to tell you to go see the movie and help save the world's dolphins!
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