rom the day it was released, The Cove has been a beacon for change. The senseless and dangerous slaughter of bottlenose dolphins in Taiji, Japan has been suspended. . . at least for now. The town's residents were finally tested for toxic levels of mercury, and what was once a deadly secret will be exposed to millions more now that the film has arrived on DVD. Read more about the movie and the brave team of filmmakers who risked it all to tell this story.
In addition, this special issue brings you resources for saving the dolphins, understanding what seafood is safe to eat, great books to read, and the story of the heroic volunteers working around the world to protect dolphins and alert others to The Cove's mission.
Wave-Making Doc, The Cove, Is Released on DVD
When The Cove opened in theaters in July, it made waves of change around the world. Now, with its release on DVD, the film will no doubt continue to shock and stir audiences with its powerful storytelling.
This award-winning, ground-breaking documentary directed by Louie Psihoyos, plays more like an espionage thriller, depicting the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan. The Cove follows a team of activists and filmmakers as they infiltrate a heavily-guarded cove in Taiji to expose the capture and slaughter of dolphins and the consequences of eating the mercury-laden dolphin meat. In this remote village the film crew witnesses and documents activities deliberately being hidden from the public: more than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are being slaughtered each year and their meat, containing toxic levels of mercury, is being sold as food in Japan, often labeled as whale meat. Additionally, many dolphins are captured to be sent to aquariums and swim with dolphin programs worldwide. Read more.
Two Urgent Actions You Can Do To Save the Dolphins
Since The Cove came out there has been worldwide attention on Taiji and the annual dolphin hunts off the coast of Japan. Under intense pressure, Taiji called for a temporary ban on killing bottlenose dolphins. The film, which was originally rejected, was shown at the Tokyo Film Festival due to public outcry. And for the first time since the campaign began 3 years ago Japanese media are covering the issue.
But this is just the beginning. Fisherman are still killing Risso dolphins and pilot whales and will likely resume killing bottlenose at any time. Sadly, the majority of people in Japan don't even know this is happening -- and they are the key to bringing it to an end!
If you'd like to help save the dolphins, two of the
most important things you can do are:
2. Spread the word by donating the DVD to an
organization, community center, library or high
school in your area.You can also download the Discussion Guide to dig deeper into the issues.
Find Killing Zones on TakePart's Interactive Map
Thousands of whales, dolphins and porpoises are killed annually by many countries, including Japan, Iceland, Norway, Canada and the U.S. Learn more about this with our interactive online map that provides detailed information about these hotspots, including country and species specific statistics. The information for the map was provided by the Humane Society of the United States and the World Conservation Society.
The Cove exposes the unconscionable slaughter of thousands of dolphins every year in Taiji, Japan and how their meat is often sold as whale meat. But dolphins, like many large ocean dwellers, are loaded with toxic levels of mercury and PCBs, and they are not safe to eat.
While mercury is a naturally occurring toxic metal, problems arise when it is emitted from coal fired power plants and waste incinerators, polluting our streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. In these bodies of water, bacteria converts it to an organic form called methylmercury which is then consumed by smaller fish. When bigger fish eat smaller fish, mercury levels increase greatly and become a health-threat to people who eat the large fish.
Mercury-contaminated fish is a problem worldwide. The best way to reduce exposure to methylmercury is to moderate or eliminate certain larger fish in your diet such as swordfish, shark, orange roughy and tuna, all of which are also fished at unsustainable levels. Read more.
What Seafood is Safe to Eat?
Not sure which seafood is safe to eat, or how much you should eat? Here are
some resources to check out:
Print out the Regional and Sushi Seafood Watch Guides from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Find out how much tuna is safe for you to eat with the National Resources Defense Council's chart by weight based on the EPA's guidelines.
Got Mercury? Check out the "Got Mercury?" Calculator, which is based on EPA and FDA data, and find out if you're putting your health at risk with your diet.
The Cove 'Captains' Spread the Word and Activism
As one of the most powerful documentaries of the year, The Cove has inspired and compelled average citizens around the world to become advocates against the capture and slaughter of dolphins in Taiji. "The Cove is a rare documentary. After seeing it, you have to make a conscious choice between standing up or standing by. You can't 'unsee' those images, so you have to choose what to do with them," said Sarah Hambley of Vancouver, BC.
Hambley is one such citizen who saw The Cove and decided to take action as a volunteer with Coalition Against the Cruelty to Animals, No Whales In Captivity, and the World Society for the Protection of Animals. She regularly distributed pamphlets outside the theatre during the film's run in Vancouver and was able to see firsthand the impact of the film's message. "When people left the theatre, [their] overall reaction was one of outrage, sadness, despair and then for many, hope. They wanted to do something about it...I encouraged people to act by going to the websites, educating themselves further, telling other people to see the film [and] signing the petitions."
But Hambley is just one of the citizens-turned-activist by this powerful film. These "Cove Captains" have been instrumental in spreading the word and filling the theaters. Read more.
Pictured: Tony Denley painted his car in support of The Cove.
SPOTLIGHT: RIC O'BARRY HAS RISKED IT ALL
Ric O'Barry is a marine mammal activist, a former dolphin trainer turned crusader, a hero AND a wanted man. His commitment to freeing captive dolphins around the world has landed him in prison, but the lawsuits, trials, surveillance, danger and personal anguish could not keep him from his mission.
Ironically, O'Barry himself was once at the epicenter of a TV show that stole the hearts of millions and fueled widespread public adoration of dolphins. As one of the world's pre-eminent dolphin trainers, he captured and trained the five wild dolphins who played the role of "Flipper" in the TV series of the same name. Day after day, he witnessed the stunning intelligence and social savvy of the animals he was working with -- he even watched in awe as they reacted to watching themselves on TV -- and he began to question what he was doing.
When one of the dolphins committed what O'Barry believes was a form of suicide in his arms, his life took a dramatic turn. "I was already starting to have a change of heart during the filming of Flipper, but in our business we call it putting the blinders on. I was young, I had a glamorous job, I was driving a Porsche and it was easy to do. After her death, I was heartbroken." Read More.
What You Should Know About Dolphins in Captivity
As a tourist, you have the opportunity to visit and interact, both domestically and abroad, with dolphins in captivity. This includes swim-with-dolphin programs, aquariums, dolphinariums and other attractions. Learn more about this issue with our Dolphins in Captivity guide.
Discussion Guide Created for The Cove
The Cove is a movie that not only sheds light upon the gross mistreatment and slaughter of dolphins by fishermen in a small town in Japan, but also explores the ramifications human actions have on the environment.
The Cove Discussion Guide, developed by Heartland Truly Moving Pictures to accompany the film, includes facts about dolphins, information on Mercury in Seafood, and the story of what's really happening in The Cove. There are also discussion points on the environmental issues, activism and ways to take action to save the dolphins.
In the late '60s, families would gather around the TV set to watch The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. For the first time, generations of Americans could glimpse the depths of the ocean and the phenomenal creatures that live there from the comfort of their living rooms. Each week the audience got an education in marine life, and an understanding of man's responsibility to preserve it.
Jacques Cousteau spent his life championing the sea, and today, through his sons and grandchildren, his legacy lives on. At 29, grandson Philippe Cousteau is continuing the work of his father (Philippe Sr.) and grandfather through EarthEcho International, the non-profit organization he founded with his sister Alexandra Cousteau. Their mission is to foster extraordinary leaders to take action to restore and protect our oceans.
Projects include their initiative Protect Dolphin, which will both fund critical science programs as well as develop education and conservation programs to restore and protect dolphin habitats, and the Water Planet Challenge, designed to engage middle and high school students in community service-learning projects that restore and protect oceans and related fresh water systems.
"We are going to give millions of youth access to the tools and knowledge they need and take a great leap forward towards making this world a better place. My grandfather believed that youth could solve the problems facing our world and so do I; EarthEcho's Water Planet Challenge will give them the power to do it," says Philippe. Read more.
Whale Activist Jeff Pantukhoff
Some boys dream of growing up and becoming astronauts or firemen. Some boys want to be rock stars. Jeff Pantukhoff dreamed of growing up to be a researcher and oceanic explorer like Jacques Cousteau. But he put off his dream and followed in his father's footsteps, earning an engineering degree and working in the telecommunications industry.
Pantukhoff grew up in St. Louis, but it only took a family vacation to Catalina Island to awaken his love for the sea and the creatures that inhabit it. It was on this trip that he first swam in the ocean and experienced dolphins and whales in the wild. It was love at first sight.
"I was born about as far away from the ocean as one could get, but I can remember my first experience with the ocean and dolphins and whales like it was yesterday," said Pantukhoff. "What I now remember most about Jacques Cousteau was how passionate he was about raising awareness to the plight of our oceans and marine life and how he used his films as the vehicle to get that message out."
But it was the work of filmmakers and photographers Howard and Michele Hall that inspired him to pick up the phone and change his life. "Here I was, 35 years old, living in San Diego, wanting to be like Jacques Cousteau, and I had never taken a serious underwater photograph. So I 'cold-called' Howard Hall and told him about my dreams and aspirations and asked him if he might have time to meet me for lunch or something." Read more.
Pictured: Jeff Pantukhoff, founder of The Whaleman Foundation, and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere work together to save the whales in their habitat. Sign the petition.
FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT: The Cove Put His Life in Focus
As one of the world's top photographers, Louie Psihoyos has always had his life in focus. He spent 18 years shooting for National Geographic where he honed his skills of bringing humanity and wit to complicated science stories. His talent also carries over to his filmmaking. An ardent diver and dive photographer, he feels compelled to show the world the decline of our planet's crucial resource, water.
His work appears regularly in Fortune Magazine and he has shot hundreds of covers for other magazines including Smithsonian, Discover, GEO, Time, Newsweek, The New York TimesMagazine, New York Magazine, Sports Illustrated and Rock and Ice. His work has also been seen on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Television and the History Channel.
In 2005, he created The Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS), a non-profit organization that provides an exclusive lens for the public and media to observe the beauty as well as the destruction of the oceans, while motivating change.
To shoot The Cove, director Psihoyos and his crew used high-tech military grade equipment, movie special effects, bold free divers and a fearless sense of urgency to carry out a perilous underwater shoot that was entirely under cover. He could not have foreseen that, in the process, his crew would expose not only the hidden truth about dolphin hunts but also a major human health hazard, government corruption, the declining state of our oceans and one man's emotional battle for redemption.
The Cove has touched many with its unflinching view of a difficult subject. See TakePart.com's interview with this remarkable filmmaker.
The Cove Wins Awards, Nominations and Oscar Possibility
The New York Times calls The Cove "an unconventional documentary, one that looks very much like a feature film, with the dramatic arcs and suspense one would expect in a James Bond or Hollywood action movie."
Winner of numerous awards, including the Audience Awards at the 2009 Sundance, SilverDocs, Nantucket, Newport Beach and Hot Docs Film Festivals, The Cove continues to receive accolades, awards and nominations.
On December 3, the National Board of Review gave The Cove its award for Best Documentary of 2009. The film was also a finalist for the International Documentary Awards" Pare Lorentz Award.
In November, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that The Cove is on the shortlist of 15 films still under consideration for Oscar® nominations in the Documentary Feature category for the 82nd Academy Awards®. Eighty-nine pictures had originally qualified in the category. The nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The Cove tied for the Environmental Media Association's (EMA) Best Documentary award with Food, Inc.. The EMA honors the most outstanding contributions to environmental causes and green initiatives in the media.
In addition, the 2010 Cinema Eye nominees have been announced, and The Cove has received a record-tying seven nominations for Best Production, Cinematography, Editing, Original Score, Debut Feature and the top prize, Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking categories.
Robert Kennedy Jr. and Louie Psihoyos Discuss Issues from Film
On Dec. 6, Robert Kennedy Jr. and The Cove director Louie Psihoyos answered questions in an exclusive video chat from viewers about The CoveDVD Featurette, "Mercury Rising." Winner of Audience Awards around the world, The Cove was just named Best Documentary by the National Board of Review, and has been shortlisted for the Academy Awards®.
Jean-Michel Cousteau Supports The Cove
In support of The Cove, Jean-Michel Cousteau, ocean explorer, environmentalist, educator and film producer, has written a heartfelt letter asking people to see the film. "The Cove is a film that everyone should see, even those people who don't think they're interested in dolphins or the ocean. It is a film that speaks to the issues of our times, far beyond any specific animal or particular cause." Read more.
The Cove Opening Night Brings Out the Stars
Actors Ben Stiller, Isabel Lucas, and Captain Paul Watson of "Whale Wars" joined hundreds of moviegoers in Los Angeles July 31 for the opening night of the new film The Cove at the Landmark Theater. Stiller introduced the film by praising the film's crew for shining a light on the clandestine mass killing of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. And, he acknowledged the role that his co-presenter Lucas played alongside actress Hayden Panetierre in taking action to help protect the dolphins of Japan. Read more and see the photos. 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Now there are NO Fish
While our oceans have become our toilets, our landfills and our grocery stores, we continue fishing and consuming unsustainable amounts of seafood using irresponsible practices. The toxins, garbage and other pollutants in our oceans are more imminent and realistic threats than sharks. Read more.
Heroes Star Fights to Save Whales and Dolphins
Actress Hayden Panettiere is fighting to save the whales and dolphins and, as the spokesperson for Save the Whales Again!, invites you to help by signing their petition. "Anyone who knows me knows how much I love animals, and how passionate I am about protecting them. When Jeff Pantukhoff, President & Founder of The Whaleman Foundation, approached me about being their spokesperson 5 years ago, I jumped at the opportunity!" says Panettiere. Read more.
The Cove's Capt. Paul Watson Speaks Out for Dolphins
Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Animal Planet's hit television series Whale Wars also plays a role in the new film The Cove. Watson answered questions from TakePart.com about the film, the dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, and what moviegoers can do to take action. Read more.
Mercury: It's Poisoning Dolphins, Our Oceans & Us
The Cove is a documentary that goes beyond Taiji fishermen's killing of dolphins. It also shows that our oceans have become so polluted with mercury and other poisons, the dolphins are saturated with toxic waste, making them inedible. Dr. Jane M. Hightower is the author of Diagnosis: Mercury: Money, Politics and Poison. Her landmark study brought the issue of mercury in seafood to national attention. Read more of her story on the fate of dolphins.
Protecting Marine Life: A California Fish Tale
Where have all the fish gone? The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recently warned of worldwide collapse of fish stocks within decades, reporting that fish stocks have been depleted in some cases up to 95%. This is especially true of the larger fish including tuna, marlin, swordfish, sharks, cod and halibut. Charlotte Stevenson, marine biologist and staff scientist at Heal the Bay, tells us why we should care about protecting marine life. Read more.
Keely & Pierce Brosnan Support The Cove
After seeing The Cove, Keely and Pierce Brosnan speak out against the secret cove in Taiji, Japan, where the public is banned and dolphins are captured and killed. Read more.
CONT'D: Wave Making Doc, The Cove
Psihoyos and dolphin trainer turned activist Ric O'Barry believed that by making this film, they could get the word out in Japan and to the world and reveal the deep secret of the dolphin killings. The reaction from the global community as well as from Japanese people has been astounding. As the world watched the opening of dolphin hunting season this past September, no bottlenose dolphins or porpoises were slaughtered and the practice has been suspended for the time being. However, pilot whales continue to be killed in Taiji.
Last month, an article appeared in AERA Magazine, published weekly by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in Japan, revealing unsettling results from ongoing mercury testing of residents of Taiji. The article reports that a significant number of residents' hair samples have shown mercury levels exceeding 50ppm, a level linked to serious neurological conditions.
If you missed it in theaters, want to see it again, or simply want to share The Cove with your friends and family, you can buy the DVD now.
Women of child-bearing age or who are nursing should be particularly cautious because mercury is a highly-poisonous metal that poses serious heath risks to developing fetuses, babies and children. They can suffer brain damage and learning disabilities if exposed to repeated small amounts of mercury.
Adults are also at risk. Symptoms can include numbness, burning or tingling of the extremities (fingers, toes, lips), fatigue, weakness, irritability, loss of memory and coordination, tremors, and changes in hearing and blurred vision. Exposure to high levels of mercury can permanently damage an adult's brain and kidneys, and possibly lead to circulatory failure.
Crystal Galbraith, a local Los Angeles resident saw the film 21 times in the theater, each time taking a different person or group with her. "After I saw The Cove, I took it upon myself to take every person I know to see the movie," Galbraith explained. "Sometimes I would see the film three times in one day!" She got involved with Save Japan Dolphins, attended almost every theatrical screening, handed out materials, and even filled in as a speaker at a few screenings when an official representative from the film couldn't attend. Additionally, Galbraith worked with local whale watching groups who offered discounted trips to anyone with a ticket stub from The Cove.
Meanwhile, halfway across the globe in Dunedin, New Zealand, local surfer Tony Denley grabbed the attention of the Participant's Social Action team when they received a local newspaper article featuring pictures of his car with "Save Japan Dolphins" painted on the hood! Impassioned by the film, Denley has been working tirelessly to spread the word in Dunedin. He requested promotional materials from Participant and set up an action stand in the lobby of his local theater where moviegoers could request more information after the film and donate to Sea Shepherd. Additionally, he ran a fundraising stall at the local, farmers market and raffled off a surfboard donated for the cause by a Dunedin board shaper named Felix Dickson.
Michael Towner of Protect Dolphins, a subsidiary of EarthEcho International, a global nonprofit that provides funding for education and research to protect the oceans, was instrumental in spreading the word about the film in the Southeast U.S. He hosted opening night screenings of The Cove in Atlanta, Charleston and Washington, DC and hosted special after-parties in all three cities. Additionally, he organized private screenings and promoted the film on the Protect Dolphins website. A long-time dolphin advocate, Towner spearheaded the development of special dolphin license plates in five states aimed at providing an ongoing sustainable funding source for the educational and scientific endeavors of EarthEcho International's Protect Wild Dolphins program. He feels that the entertainment value of The Cove provides a special opportunity to "get the message into more households throughout the world."
As he explained to TakePart blogger Travis Kaya, "The message is very clear: right now, greed trumps human morals - and as much as we all seem to accept this, we do not have to."
In Australia, 13-year-old Jasmina Radanovic built her own website and online petition to promote awareness about the dolphin slaughter. Passionate about dolphins and wildlife preservation, Jasmina has written letters to President Obama, Vice President Biden, the Prime Minister of Australia and the Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Ichiro Fujisaki. In order to spread the word in her community she's created flyers and is working to organize a screening of the film at her school. "I believe it will make my peers more aware of the issue," Jasmina explains. "When people become aware of what is happening they want to save the animals they love. I believe some of my peers will be disgusted and they will help."
Now that the film is about to be released on DVD, Sarah Hambley is also focused on bringing the film to the classroom, by promoting the film within her local school district and talking to principals and teachers about organizing a series of student screenings.
"Education and awareness is what will bring about change," she explains. "In what it has accomplished thus far...The Cove proves this. I just want to help keep the momentum going." Back to top.
CONT'D: SPOTLIGHT: Ric O'Barry Has Risked It All
Days later, he found himself off the island of Bimini, attempting to cut a hole in the sea pen holding a captive dolphin. It was his first rescue attempt and his first arrest . . . and it would lead to many more.
"Dolphins are free-ranging, intelligent and complex wild animals, and they belong in the oceans, not playing clown in our human schemes," he said.
On Earth Day in 1970, O'Barry founded the Dolphin Project, an organization dedicated to freeing captive dolphins and educating people throughout the world to the plight of dolphins in captivity. He has spent the last 38 years traveling the world, lecturing to all who would listen, writing books and working against those who were hostile toward his efforts.
Asked what he thinks of dolphin trainers who come to places like Taiji to buy dolphins for shows and aquariums, O'Barry said, "A lot of trainers justify that this is all for 'research and education,' but I really can't answer how 30 trainers can stand in the water in Taiji with these traumatized animals and look them in the eye knowing what they are doing. I really don't know. I get why the fisherman do it - for them, it's a tradition and they really believe that dolphins are no different from a fish, even if they are ignoring that dolphin meat is toxic. I am still in contact with trainers who have found ways to turn a blind eye.They want to talk about how to train new tricks, but they don't want to talk about the captures or slaughter."
O'Barry has watched in despair as the capture and sale of dolphins has, in the ensuing years, become a colossal form of big business. Incensed that this was going on without any public attention or the consent of the Japanese people, he began secretly filming what was happening in the cove and sending footage to news outlets, hoping to get the word out. It was one of these homemade DVDs that first drew the attention of Louie Psihoyos, who soon brought his own film crew to Taiji, and enlisted the creative input of producer Fisher Stevens. Once in action, the film couldn't help but focus on the colorful, larger-than-life personality of O'Barry, who is in such imminent danger in Taiji that he dons comic-book disguises and moves at night, never wavering from his ongoing mission.
Even though there is a ban on whaling, it doesn't apply to dolphins or other small whales. "Of course size doesn't matter - dolphins are whales and their suffering is the same. Unfortunately, the International Whaling Commission, as you see in the movie, is asleep at the wheel and under the influence of corrupt lawyers and very little happens at their meetings," said O'Barry.
What of the human health issues at stake here? "What we've found is that dolphin meat is actually poison. It has more mercury in it than the fish that sickened the town of Minimata in one of the worst incidents of mercury poisoning in modern history. Yet, the Japanese people are unaware of this. Hopefully, this movie will accomplish what Japanese newspapers and television broadcasters have failed to accomplish - get out the story that the Japanese people have been lied to for years."
O'Barry suggests that people call the Japanese embassy and ask them to stop the dolphin hunts. "Most politicians in the U.S. don't know that the largest dolphin slaughter in the world takes place every year in Japan, so we are hopeful that this movie will really be a wake up call."
Is O'Barry optimistic that things will change?
"Nothing could have been more exciting for me than to see this film receive standing ovations at Sundance and to have people literally jumping up and asking, 'What can be done?' The main thing I want to say is that there is real hope on the horizon. I think there's a good chance we can shut this cove down and if we can do that, it's going to be a big step towards stopping all whaling of any kind. If people want to help, they should visit www.savejapandolphins.org."
In addition to his work as CEO of EarthEcho International, Philippe is co-founder of Azure Worldwide, a strategic environmental design, development and marketing company. He is also the Chief Ocean Correspondent for both the Animal Planet and Planet Green channels, where he works on various ocean and water-focused documentary programs, including a program he co-hosted with Steve Irwin called Ocean's Deadliest.
"Like my father and grandfather before me, I believe storytelling is a powerful way to create change; from developing a new TV series for late 2010, working on 3D Imax, and of course dedicating a great deal of time to educating future generations about my work, like Participant Media; I hope to energize people to take action for a better future, he says."
Philippe is currently the host for Oceans, a new Discovery Channel/BBC series which premiered in the UK in 2008 and is set to premiere in the U.S. this year. The series explores the state of our world's oceans and major seas. Along with his sister Alexandra, Philippe was the host of Blue August 2009, an entire month of programming on Planet Green Channel that celebrated our oceans. Philippe is also co-producer, narrator and host for a 3D IMAX film on the Chesapeake Bay to premier in 2010. In addition, he is the chief spokesperson for Environmental Education for Discovery Education, the leading provider of K-12 broadband-delivered educational content to U.S. schools.
Philippe was recently named to Smithsonian Magazine's list of "37 under 36, America's Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences." He says, "Growing up I have always been honored to be part of the Cousteau legacy and now more than ever we must all take action to build a clean, just, and sustainable future that we all deserve."
Hall agreed to meet, and he and his wife, Michele, gave Pantukhoff a lot of good advice about underwater photography. When Pantukhoff asked if he could volunteer to work with them, Hall said he only worked with dive instructors. The next day Pantukhoff enrolled in dive instructor training.
"Later that same year (1994), I contacted Howard to let him know that I was now a certified dive instructor and asked if he had any volunteer work. He said that they didn't have a need at the time, but a few weeks later Howard called me out of the blue and asked me if I wanted a paying job as a member of their camera team on their IMAX 3D film, Into the Deep. I couldn't believe it," Pantukhoff said.
That was the beginning of his brilliant career in marine photography and filmmaking, and conservation. The following year in 1995, Pantukhoff founded The Whaleman Foundation in an effort to stop a joint venture with a large corporation and the Mexican government from building one of the world's largest salt plants right in the heart of San Ignacio Lagoon, one of the most beautiful and untouched breeding grounds for gray whales.
"After I heard about the plans for the salt plant, I remember thinking to myself if whoever is in charge of the UN World Heritage Sites saw how beautiful this lagoon is compared to Scammon's Lagoon [in Baja, Mexico], which is already ruined by a salt plant, there's no way they could allow that to happen in San Ignacio."
He immediately began production on his first film, Gray Magic: The Plight of San Ignacio Lagoon. When the film was presented to UNESCO and the World Conservation Union, and later to a meeting of the UN in Kyoto, Japan, an investigative team was sent to San Ignacio. In 2000, five years after Pantukhoff began his efforts to save the lagoon, Mexico's President Ernesto Zedillo withdrew the country's support for the salt plant.
Pantukhoff has written, directed and produced four other short films on issues that affect dolphins and whales and their habitats. His work has been instrumental in halting hunting of gray whales by the Makah Tribe, stalling the use of the U.S. Navy's dangerous low-frequency sonar technology, getting the U.S. and Canada to place the Southern resident Orcas on the endangered species list, and getting the UN to take the lead in regulating man-made underwater noise pollution.
But his work doesn't stop there. He also partnered with Dr. Marsha Green, founder of the Ocean Mammal Institute, on a long-term research project to study vocalizations and behaviors of humpback whales.
In addition to his current research and film projects, Jeff's main focus is on the "Save the Whales Again!" Campaign, a global media conservation effort that was officially launched in 2007 by campaign spokesperson Hayden Panettiere, who stars in NBC's Heroes. The Campaign garnered worldwide attention later that year when Pantukhoff took Panettiere with Australian spokesperson Isabel Lucas to participate in a paddle out at Taiji's notorious dolphin killing cove.
In June, Pantukhoff and Panettiere called on the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to end all commercial and scientific whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland, and to end the brutal dolphin drive and harpoon hunts by Japan and the Faroe Islands.
"In the wake of all of the scientific evidence and numerous government warnings about health risks associated with those who consume whale, dolphin and porpoise meat, the only logical conclusion for the IWC is to end these so-called compromise discussions and to once and for all end the needless and archaic commercial slaughter of dolphins, whales and porpoises worldwide," said Pantukhoff.
His next film will be his first full-length documentary featuring Panettiere and their work together for the past five years.
After years of research and filmmaking, Pantukhoff believes that our future is intrinsically tied to that of whales and dolphins. They are an indicator species. Threats to their habitats also threaten mankind.
It is time to save the whales again! Please join Pantukhoff, Hayden Panettiere and The Whaleman Foundation in their effort to get 1 million signatures to help save the whales. Sign the petition.
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QUICKLINKS
THE COVE
Louie Psihoyo's award-winning documentary takes the form of a suspense thriller as it follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to infiltrate a remote and heavily guarded cove off the coast of Japan, where tens of thousands of dolphins are slaughtered each year and sold for food despite the toxic mercury content of their meat.
A Participant Media Guide Edited by Jon Bowermaster Oceans gathers some of the most insightful visionaries, explorers, and ocean lovers in a unique anthology, in which each speaks to a unique aspect of our world's most dimly understood dimension.
Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King by Brad Matsen
If you think you already know everything about Cousteau, you are probably wrong. This revealing biography illuminates the illustrious adventurer, filmmaker, conservationist, inventor, scientist, businessman, and advocate.
Diagnosis: Mercury: Money, Politics and Poison by Dr. Jane M. Hightower
Dr. Jane M. Hightower's landmark study brought the issue of mercury in seafood to national attention. Now, our oceans have become so polluted with mercury and other poisons, the dolphins are saturated with toxic waste, making them inedible.
Tuna: A Love Story by Richard Ellis
Americans consume more than one billion pounds of canned tuna per year. Ellis fears not only for the impact of rising mercury levels on tuna, the state of the seas and human health, but also the fate of tuna.
If you are a fan of sushi, this book is a must read. Trenor provides an in-depth report on 39 species of fish and shellfish found on sushi menus.
To Free a Dolphin by Ric O'Barry
On a marshy island off the coast of Georgia, O'Barry is retraining dolphins to live in their natural environment. His story will have wide appeal.
Girls Gone Green by Lynn Hirshfield
For younger readers, check out Girls Gone Green. Available now for pre-order on Amazon, this book features a stirring foreword by Hayden Panettiere about her work with the Whaleman Foundation to save the whales and her experience in Taiji.
Sign up for a free monthly newsletter from the filmmakers who brought you AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, FOOD, INC., GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK., and more. Participant Media produces films about the issues that matter to you, and then invites audiences to dig deeper into the issues and to take action. Each month the newsletter delivers news, tips and resources on the films, the issues, the stars, and the people who are taking part in changing the world.
rom the day it was released, 
When 
If you'd like to help save the dolphins, two of the 
Not sure which seafood is safe to eat, or how much you should eat? Here are
As one of the most powerful documentaries of the year, 
Ric O'Barry is a marine mammal activist, a former dolphin trainer turned crusader, a hero AND a wanted man. His commitment to freeing captive dolphins around the world has landed him in prison, but the lawsuits, trials, surveillance, danger and personal anguish could not keep him from his mission.
As a tourist, you have the opportunity to visit and interact, both domestically and abroad, with dolphins in captivity. This includes swim-with-dolphin programs, aquariums, dolphinariums and other attractions. Learn more about this issue with our 
Continuing the Family Legacy of Conservation
As one of the world's top photographers, Louie Psihoyos has always had his life in focus. He spent 18 years shooting for National Geographic where he honed his skills of bringing humanity and wit to complicated science stories. His talent also carries over to his filmmaking. An ardent diver and dive photographer, he feels compelled to show the world the decline of our planet's crucial resource, water.
Jean-Michel Cousteau Supports The Cove
1 Fish, 2 Fish, Now there are NO Fish
Heroes Star Fights to Save Whales and Dolphins
The Cove's
Protecting Marine Life: A California Fish Tale
Keely & Pierce Brosnan Support 
Psihoyos and dolphin trainer turned activist Ric O'Barry believed that by making this film, they could get the word out in Japan and to the world and reveal the deep secret of the dolphin killings. The reaction from the global community as well as from Japanese people has been astounding. As the world watched the opening of dolphin hunting season this past September, no bottlenose dolphins or porpoises were slaughtered and the practice has been suspended for the time being. However, pilot whales continue to be killed in Taiji. 
Women of child-bearing age or who are nursing should be particularly cautious because mercury is a highly-poisonous metal that poses serious heath risks to developing fetuses, babies and children. They can suffer brain damage and learning disabilities if exposed to repeated small amounts of mercury.
Meanwhile, halfway across the globe in Dunedin, New Zealand, local surfer Tony Denley grabbed the attention of the Participant's Social Action team when they received a local newspaper article featuring pictures of his car with "Save Japan Dolphins" painted on the hood! Impassioned by the film, Denley has been working tirelessly to spread the word in Dunedin. He requested promotional materials from Participant and set up an action stand in the lobby of his local theater where moviegoers could request more information after the film and donate to Sea Shepherd. Additionally, he ran a fundraising stall at the local, farmers market and raffled off a surfboard donated for the cause by a Dunedin board shaper named Felix Dickson.
As he explained to TakePart blogger 
Asked what he thinks of dolphin trainers who come to places like Taiji to buy dolphins for shows and aquariums, O'Barry said, "A lot of trainers justify that this is all for 'research and education,' but I really can't answer how 30 trainers can stand in the water in Taiji with these traumatized animals and look them in the eye knowing what they are doing. I really don't know. I get why the fisherman do it - for them, it's a tradition and they really believe that dolphins are no different from a fish, even if they are ignoring that dolphin meat is toxic. I am still in contact with trainers who have found ways to turn a blind eye.They want to talk about how to train new tricks, but they don't want to talk about the captures or slaughter." 
In addition to his work as CEO of EarthEcho International, Philippe is co-founder of Azure Worldwide, a strategic environmental design, development and marketing company. He is also the Chief Ocean Correspondent for both the Animal Planet and Planet Green channels, where he works on various ocean and water-focused documentary programs, including a program he co-hosted with Steve Irwin called 
