The Cove

Today I went to see a movie in the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) that was really well done and informative. It was the audience winner of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The movie is The Cove. Is is all about the dolphin slaughter that takes place in Japan every year.

The movie was so moving and I hope that whoever reads this will go see it when available. It is sad to watch but you will leave wanting to do something. Sadly, most of the Japanese population know nothing of this or about the high levels of mercury they are ingesting by eating whale meat (which is sometimes dolphin meat w/o them even knowing).

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, The Cove follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to discover the truth about the international dolphin capture trade as practiced in Taiji, Japan. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide.

The Cove exposes not only the tragedy of dolphin slaughtering in Japan, but also the dangerously high levels of mercury in dolphin meat and seafood, the cruelty in capturing dolphins for entertainment, and the depletion of our ocean’s fisheries by worldwide seafood consumption. We also see how the mandate of the International Whaling Commission has been manipulated by the Japanese Fisheries Agency for its benefit and its subsequent effect on the rest of the world.

Here are some tips from http://www.takepart.com/thecove
What Can I Do To Help?

1. Explore SaveJapanDolphins.org and educate yourself about the issues.
2. Stop buying tickets to shows that exploit dolphins and whales.
3. Donate now. We will spend the money to stop the needless slaughter and sale of live dolphins.
4. Tell your friends about SaveJapanDolphins.org
5. Talk to your children about Saving the Dolphins.
6. Write letters using the addresses we have provided.

If you know anything about me you should know that I love sushi. Here is a helpful guide to let you know what fish in your area have high levels of mercury in them so you can avoid eating them. There is also one about sushi.