~the cove~

~the Great Barrier Reef, in grayscale, 22 August 2008~

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A year ago, this past Saturday, I went on my first dive on the Great Barrier Reef.  It was an amazing experience - it was not just my first dive on GBR, but my first dive anywhere.  I can still close my eyes and see the color - the rich royal blue of the starfish, shades of green, darts of color.

Coral reef ecosystems are slowly - and sometimes not so slowly - being degraded.  A recent article suggests that fish populations in the Caribbean are declining in proportion to coral reefs.

Tonight I thought about that reef - devoid of color.  And I thought about how connected everything is, and how I hope folks catch on to this before it's too late.  I'd like to think it's not too late.

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Tonight I went to see the documentary 'The Cove'.  Here is a description of the movie from the Sundance Film Festival website:

Flipper was one of the most beloved television characters of all time. But ironically, the fascination with dolphins that he caused created a tragic epidemic that has threatened their existence and become a multibillion dollar industry. The largest supplier of dolphins in the world is located in the picturesque town of Taijii, Japan. But the town has a dark, horrifying secret that it doesn't want the rest of the world to know. There are guards patrolling the cove, where the dolphin capturing takes place, who prevent any photography. The only way to stop the evil acts of this company and the town that protects it is to expose them....and that's exactly what the brave group of activists in The Cove intend to do.Armed with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment, the members of the small group, led by the most famous dolphin trainer in the world, devise a covert plan to infiltrate the cove to document the horrifying events that happen there. Along the way, they uncover what may be the largest health crisis facing our planet— the poisoning of our seas. Part environmental documentary, part horror film, part spy thriller, The Cove is as suspenseful as it is enlightening. The final result is a heart-wrenching, but inspirational, story that shows the true power of film in the hands of people who aren't afraid to risk everything for a vital cause.

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I learned tonight that South Carolina was the first - and is currently the only - state in the union that has banned the capture and display of cetaceans.  The ban went into effect in 1992.

If you want to learn more, check out takepart.com.

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 Much of the documentary focused on Ric O'Barry - the former 'Flipper' trainer-turned-cetacean-activist.  He's now the Campaign Director for SaveJapanDolphins.org - and he was compelling in the film, a man who woke up one day thinking 'what have I done?' and is now spending his life making up for the damage done by making the bottlenose dolphin everyone's favorite oceanic pet.

The Microbial Lab is now studying the microbiome of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin.  We hope to expand this work at some point to other cetaceans.  Tonight I watched the film, hoping that perhaps our work could really make a difference - and maybe, if we're lucky, it will.  But during the question and answer session at the end of the film (with Phillipe Cousteau of Earth Echo International), a woman from the audience asked 'what about the use of dolphins in helping autistic children?' - as if the forced captivity of one mammal to help a human trumps everything.  How many autistic children have access to a dolphin for therapy?  And...why a dolphin?  The question, to me, just seemed to encompass everything that is wrong with how we as a species view other mammals.  Ever since I was little I haven't gotten that mentality - that human-centric thing - that sense of denial that we aren't just another mammal too.

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If you get a chance to see the film, I'd recommend it.

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(PS  I know, I know, I need to stop eating meat - including fish.  I shouldn't rant again until I've done so.)

Comments

[Janet]

It is such a delicate balance. Human-centricity causes the balance to be disrupted.

[Les]

I was encouraged a few years back when I read that there was an emerging trend among fundamentalist religious groups taking a more of a stewardship point of view when it comes to environmental issues. Apparently they feel we may have to answer for the state of the world, which they feel is God's gift to us all.

Counter this with another point of view that the Earth and all of the things on it are ours to use, a means to an end, and with the End Times being here, it just doesn't matter what we do.

While I am not especially religous, I have always been fascinated by how different people view the world and our place in it. This film looks very interesting, but I am afraid it may make me angry. I would definately have to see it stag, my wife is so sensative to images of animal suffering even fictional ones. I hope the film may in some way benefit your lab.

[Pam]

Janet, human-centricity is just one big problem!

Les, I was worried that I'd have to leave - and even sat on the aisle in the back just in case. It had some sad/gruesome parts but I was expecting it to be much worse - and I'm sure that it could have been. Regardless, you will be angry, discouraged - yet at the same time leave with the sense that one determined individual can make a difference. That is always a good thing to feel.