THE COVE PROJECT BY: MR. MARTELLS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CLASS INTRO The Cove is a movie about Dolphin Killing in Taiji, Japan Taiji is located on the south east coast of Japan Dolphins are captured and sold to aquariums/parks The remaining 20,000 dolphins are killed each year DOLPHIN FACTS Dolphins will sometimes commit suicide in captivity Dolphins develop their own individual whistles They appear to be fascinated with pregnant women DOLPHIN FACTS They sleep with only half of their brain at a time Excellent eyesight and hearing using echolocation Communicate by clicking, whistling, and other sounds DOLPHIN BEHAVIOR Dolphins may travel alone or in groups Calves maintain baby position next to mothers Remain in mothers care for several years FEEDING Herd fish into a group and attack from the bottom Fish tossing Diving and chasing after fish Baby position DOLPHIN BEHAVIOR CONT. SOCIALIZING Breeding, playing, aggression, and gentle body contact, such as rubbing are social interactions WHAT IS DISTURBANCE? Causes: - easily disturbed by people, watercraft - when approached too quickly, closely, noisily Signs: - abrupt changes in speed or direction - rapid swimming at surface - female shielding calf - repeated tail slapping, breaching, exhaling loudly WHAT REALLY HAPPENS IN TAIJI Dolphin hunting occurs September May Some sold to marine parks for up to $200 thousand Remaining 20,000 or more are slaughtered Butchered dolphins are used for food (school lunches) Risk of mercury poisoning leads to serious health problems Japanese citizens are unaware. WHAT REALLY HAPPENS IN TAIJI MERCURY AFFECTS Toxic effects include damage to the brain, kidney, and lungs Symptoms include sensory impairment of vision, hearing, speech Sources of high levels of mercury include eating whale & dolphin meat Japanese government is fully aware and ignores the problem allowing meat to be sold Japanese consumers are unaware that its dolphin meat PROS AND CONS Pros: - Provides jobs - Pumps money into the economy - Pests - Captivity Cons: -Endangers dolphins -Not killed humanely -Mercury -Illegal -Dolphins are aware -Unknown how extensively their species have been depleted -Ecosystem balance is thrown off CONSERVATION EFFORTS Educating people Not served in school lunches Dolphin killing continues WHAT COULD YOU DO? Contact marine parks and aquariums, tell them you do NOT support them getting their dolphins from the wild. Boycott from going to marine parks and aquariums until they change their methods. WORD OF MOUTH! Tell your friends and family! Use the hashtags #SaveTheDolphins and #StopTaiji to spread the word! Visit our website: SOURCES Website name: Dolphin Smart Page Name: Wild Dolphin Behaviors URL:http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/dolphinsmart/pdfs/behavior_factsh eet.pdfhttp://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/dolphinsmart/pdfs/behavior_factsh eet.pdf Website name: OPS (oceanic preservation society) Page Name: Dolphin Slaughter in Taiji URL:Website name: MedicineNet Page Name: Mercury Poisoning URL: Website name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Page Name: Mercury URL: SOURCES CONT. Website name: The Cove Movie Page name: Blog URL: Website name: Save the Dolphins Page name: Starting a Cove Club at Your School URL:\\ Website name: BlueVoice Page name: Dolphins URL: Website name: Luna Whaling Page name: Whaling Con & Pro URL:Website name: OPS (oceanic preservation society) Page name: What you can do after seeing The Cove URL: SOURCES CONT. Website name: International Whaling Page name: Pros and Cons of Whaling URL:ons_of_whalingons_of_whaling Website name: Encyclopedia Britannica ADVOCACY for ANIMALS Page name: Dolphin Slaughter in Japan URL:lphin-slaughter-in-japan/lphin-slaughter-in-japan/ Website name: Scientific American Page name: What is Mercury Poisoning? URL:mercury-poisoning/mercury-poisoning/