chambersthecove

//** The Cove **//** (2009) ** Director: Louie Psihoyos
 * 1. Title, director, and release year?**


 * 2. What is the central argument of the film?**


 * The central argument of the film is to reveal the inhumane practices of Japanese dolphin capturing and slaughtering in Taiji, Japan. As many as 23,000 dolphins are slaughtered each year as a part of the country's whaling industry. This activity is investigated by members from the Oceanic Preservation Society. Since there is a lot of money to be made in the multi-million dollar industry of dolphin shows, there is a great demand for dolphins to fill the tanks of aquarium theme-parks. Many of these dolphins are sold in Taiji, Japan for up to $140,000 per dolphin. I personally suspect that the price will continue to go up as more and more dolphins are being slaughtered, there will be less dolphins and more demand for them. **

An investigative team of ex-dolphin trainers, scuba divers, surfers, and compassionate citizens set out to capture footage of the terrible slaughtering that occurs in Taiji. Because the area is heavily guarded and sealed off, they use hidden cameras and underwater sound recorders to get footage to show to the world.

The crying of the dolphins was one of the most touching parts of the movie. Dolphins are self-aware and intelligent mammals. Yet, the fishermen in Taiji treat them as if they're termites. Young dolphins are separated from their parents and killed. After the slaughtering, the cove is red with blood. The footage just rips your heart out.


 * Dolphins are more intelligent than we think they are. They seem to show an illusion of happiness wherever they end up, but this is not the case. Dolphins in confinement have to be medicated due to their high stress levels. They are not meant to be alive for our enjoyment, but many parks advertise to people's desire to swim and play with them. Dolphins naturally travel up to 40 miles a day in their natural environment, and have amazing acoustic abilities that humans can't even begin to replicate. **


 * Japanese fishermen in Taiji, Japan are encouraged to kill the dolphins that aren't selected by dolphin trainers because they are considered "pests" by the Japanese government. They are considered "pests" because they are competing with the fishing industry (ie, dolphins eat fish at the same trophic level that humans do), which is predicted to collapse in forty years. This is a particularly sobering activity, and it really makes me wonder where the compassion is in all of this. This horrific practice is fueled by profit, yet the real costs are going to be in the future, when we see what an impact this has made on the world's oceans. **


 * 3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?**

The film also brings out the schisty sale of dolphin meat to communities. Dolphin meat isn't very desirable, especially if it is labeled truthfully. Dolphin is labeled, instead, as whale meat. Dolphins, like humans, eat at higher levels on the food chain. Due to industrial activity and the burning of fossil fuels, mercury has accumulated in the food chain and is at its highest concentration once it reaches larger fish and then dolphins. The "safe" level of mercury for consumption is considered to be 5ppm, yet dolphin has up to 2000 ppm in one pound of meat. This means that dolphin meat is extremely toxic, yet it is still allowed to be sold on the market. It is inconceivable that the dolphin meat was marketed for schoolchildren's lunches. Children's brains are developing and giving them toxic food for lunches can only put their neurological health at risk.

Fisheries are significantly reducing the biodiversity in our oceans. It is depressing to know that they are killing dolphins as well. The profit motive and corporations are involved in these decisions. The Japanese industry and government believes that the success of their fisheries depends on the amount of dolphin-slaughtering that happens.


 * 4. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?**

There wasn't much about this film that I wasn't compelled or convinced by. There is a serious problem that needs to be addressed about the state of our oceans.


 * 5. What audiences does this film best address? Why?**

This film was made for spreading awareness about the issue. The activity that happens in Taiji needs to be known everywhere. It is important for everyone to become knowledgeable about the Cove, since it could affect someone's decisons. For example, is tuna the right fish to eat at a restaurant? If someone had just seen this movie, perhaps they would think twice since it mentions how larger fish contain more mercury. If many people do this collectively, it could bring about change in the fish market and end the horrible practice of dolphin-slaughtering. It also reaches out to animal rights' activists and environmentalists.


 * 6. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?**
 * It would have been interesting to know how much carbon is emitted from these fishing boats and what are the main species that are declining. They also didn't mention how threatened dolphins are, and if so, what species are the most threatened? **


 * 7. What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested in the film?**

The film suggests that since the IWC is not contributing to any change, it is up to individuals to create the social change that we need. We need to put pressure on the fishing industry either by making choices not to eat seafood coming from these sources or being an activist. The film suggests visiting [] for more ideas to become active in the cause, such as writing to leaders and making donations. Education and awareness is the key to solving this problem.

An organization I never knew about, which is sad since i'm a surfer, is Surfers for Cetaceans. This activist group was involved in trying to halt the slaughtering in the Cove in the film, but were unsuccessful due to the threatening fishermen. I believe that their cause is worth fighting for and it sends a message to surfers all across the globe. Many of us have had intimate experiences with dolphins while surfing. They are peaceful creatures and have helped save several surfers from shark attacks. This is their website: []
 * 8. What additonal information has this film compelled you to seek out?**

Another issue the film brought up is the Minimata Disease. This tragedy occurred in the 1950s, when the people of Minimata consumed fish with high levels of mercury (due to coal-burning local factories). The factory used inorganic mercury to produce acetic acid and vinyl chloride. The mercury was discharged untreated into the ocean until 1966. This led to chronic health problems in this population, specifically and most noticeably birth defects in fetuses from mothers who consumed polluted fish. Symptoms of methylmercury poisoning include general muscle weakness, ataxia (lack of coordinated muscle movements), damage to hearing and speech, and in extreme cases insanity and death. Many Over 17,000 people were affected by the disease. Many of these people have suffered both physical and social pain, as many are still ostracized from society for their disease. Production is now discontinued and the Chisso corporation has paid 86 million dollars in compensation for the victims. Source: []