The Cove

Ashley Mbualungu

English 105

Professor Timmons

11/15/2010

The Cove, a 2009 documentary film directed by Louie Psihoyos, is about the annual slaughter of innocent dolphins by Taiji fishermen in Japan. Along with the Americans traveling to Taiji to get the actual footages of the dolphins on tape, the Japanese were able to get footage on their side as to why they believe slaughtering the dolphins is important, however, their argument is not convincing. Although it was not a full perspective, it was a fair amount of footage and it was shown that the fishermen kill the dolphins primarily for their meat but also as a way of pest control. Dolphins eat fish because it is their food but to the Japanese 23,000 of them are killed annually and it’s the fishermen’s way of preserving the fish in the ocean. To me that sounds selfish and their arguments were not convincing at all.

The film shows more of the Japanese perspective and the issues only seemed to be getting worse.  The Japanese are clearly aware that if word of what they do gets out, there would be outrage, so they hide behind the government. The Japanese government had incorporated pilot whale meat to the children’s school lunch programs and the biggest problem with this is the fact that most of the dolphin meat that has been slaughtered is used as counterfeit whale meat. The dolphin hunters do not warn the town of this danger even when the meat contains mercury which isn’t meant for consumption.  The people of Japan have every right to know what’s going on with the dolphin slaughter. I, for one thing, would definitely want to know what is being fed to my children during school lunches and would not want their health at risk.

The airing of how the Japanese use dolphin meat is a way of them being heard but I feel like their footage and camera time is unnecessary mainly because I disagree with the fishermen’s whole idea of slaughtering especially when it’s for the wrong purpose. It’s obviously good to get both sides of the story, in terms of fairness, but the striking footages of how they grab the dolphins in preparation for a slaughtered blood bath is enough to just believe that what these fishermen are doing is wrong. The cries of these dolphins as they are being killed is enough to want to save them yourself and stop all the madness. It is unacceptable and I’m hoping the government, the citizens, and fishermen of Taiji are soon to realize that.