Mediterranean Sea: an example of the oceans' destiny?

A recent review describes how the Mediterranean Sea could offer an idea of the disastrous future of the oceans.

This review of more than 100 studies on the Mediterranean’s changing ecological dynamics, describes the convergence of climate change and human impacts in waters that had been stable since the time of Aristotle.

Rising temperatures, disrupted deep-water hydrology, overfishing, shrinked food-webs, mass die-offs, diseases and pollution are some of the threats that are affecting the Mediterranean Sea. Other sea areas on Earth may not escape from this sad degradation destiny. The future doesn’t look so nice...

Silvia Bonizzoni

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Lejeusne C., Chevaldonné P., Pergent-Martini C., Boudouresque C.F., Pérez T. 2009. Climate change effects on a miniature ocean: the highly diverse, highly impacted Mediterranean Sea. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2009.10.009

Abstract:
Little doubt is left that climate change is underway, strongly affecting the Earth's biodiversity. Some of the greatest challenges ahead concern the marine realm, but it is unclear to what extent changes will affect marine ecosystems. The Mediterranean Sea could give us some of the answers. Data recovered from its shores and depths have shown that sea temperatures are steadily increasing, extreme climatic events and related disease outbreaks are becoming more frequent, faunas are shifting, and invasive species are spreading. This miniature ocean can serve as a giant mesocosm of the world's oceans, with various sources of disturbances interacting synergistically and therefore providing an insight into a major unknown: how resilient are marine ecosystems, and how will their current functioning be modified?

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For more information:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/mediterranean-degradation/

Mega-flood filled the Med in under two years

Around 5.6 million years ago tectonic movements and a drop in sea level cut the Mediterranean out of the worlds' oceans. For 300 million years our sea dried up almost everywhere, in what is called the Messinian salinity crisis.

The water then returned: what started like a trickle, later became an event of biblical proportions which filled the Mediterranean in under two years. At peak times, the sea level rose by up to ten meters a day - the largest known flood in Earth's history.

Daniel Garcia-Castellanos of the Jaume Almera Institute of Earth Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues, who published their work on Nature, estimate the peak flow to have been around 1000 times higher than the present Amazon river at its highest rate.

For more information:
- Catastrophic flood of the Mediterranean after the Messinian salinity crisis
- Castellano's page

State of the Med: the UNEP 2009 report

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and its Regional Activity Centres have released the first State of the Environment and Development report covering the Mediterranean region, which tackles key environmental issues, including climate change. The “State of the Environment and Development in the Mediterranean 2009″ was released during the 16th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, which took place from 3-5 November 2009, in Marrakech, Morocco.

The report is a pilot exercise, based on available sources of information and covers the 21 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It finds that climate change is already occurring in the region and forecasts that it will lead to, inter alia, a decline in rainfall, increased periods of droughts and rises in sea-level. The report also identifies the most vulnerable Mediterranean zones and states that climate change will also affect agriculture and fishing, the attractiveness of tourism, coastal zones and infrastructure, and public health.

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The Report

EU funded tens of millions to fish for depleted tuna

The European Union has given out €34.5 million, between 2000 and 2008, to subsidise the Mediterranean tuna fishing fleets despite warnings from scientists that overfishing is pushing the species close to extinction.

Joe Borg, the European Fishery Commissioner, revealed that €23 million was given to fund the construction of new boats, including ultra-modern purse seiners that are able to land 100 tonnes in one haul. A further €10.5 million was given to modernise existing vessels, increasing their ability to track down and catch the tuna. Only €1 million was used to decommission vessels, but mainly for small-scale, local boats.

Spain received more than half of the subsidy, with French and Italian fleets the next biggest beneficiaries. Cyprus, Malta and Greece were also given money.

Scientists from ICCAT (International Council for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna) believe that the bluefin tuna stock was below 15 per cent of its pre-exploitation levels.

Read full article on the Times

A new FAO treaty to crack down on illegal fishing

Rome, Nov 23 2009 - A new FAO treaty to fight illegal fishing - finalised by 91 countries - is now open for signature by member states. The agreement will legally enter into force after 25 countries have ratified it.

Officially known as the Agreement of Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, the treaty specifies minimum standards for inspection.

Under the terms of the text, foreign vessels will have to request permission in advance to dock at specially designated ports and will have to provide information on their catch. Signatories will also commit to regularly inspect fishing vessels in their ports according to a set of international standards. Port States will be obliged to prohibit entry to illegal fishing vessels.

So far the situation is not good: a research by the Pew Environment Group shows that while some vessels known to engage in IUU fishing are penalised by port authorities, many are entirely unaffected or simply manage to escape penalties by moving out of the convention area where they were listed.

Environmental groups estimate that one-fifth of all fish landed are caught illegally.

EdeS (photo: FAO/G.Bizzarri)

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• Pew Environment Group: Port State Performance
  
• FAO press release: New treaty will leave ‘fish pirates’ without safe haven
  

Illegal driftnetting still a plague in the Mediterranean Sea

OCEANA recently presented a comprehensive and convincing proof on the continued use of illegal driftnets in the Mediterranean and demanded their complete elimination.

Oceana documented 92 Italian vessels in 2008 with driftnets on board, of which 80% had already been identified in previous years.

The European Court of Justice is expected to sentence Italy for the continued use of this illegal fishing gear.

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Download the Oceana report on swordfish and driftnets in the Mediterranean (13.1 Mb)

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Action brought on 10 June 2008 — Commission of the European Communities vs Italian Republic

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Photo credit: Oceana / Juan Cuetos

New hope for monk seals at Cabo Blanco

CBD-Habitat documented a monk seal birth in the Mediterranean colony located in the Cabo Blanco peninsula (Morocco/Mauritania), as reported yesterday to the MARMAM list.

On September 22nd, a newborn pup was observed in an open beach. There are no records of such an event in decades, in which seals were persecuted leading them to abandon open beaches and use exclusively marine caves to haul out and breed.

Acording to CBD-Habitat, one of the main set of actions of the Action Plan for the recovery of Mediterranean monk seal in the Eastern Atlantic developed by the governments of Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Mauritania was to “promote the occupation of beaches as breeding and resting habitat”.

During the last 9 years, and under these guidelines established by the Action Plan, the protection of breeding caves and vicinities by CBD-Habitat project has been intense reducing to a minimum disturbances caused by goose barnacle pickers, fishermen as well as the threat of illegal setting of artisan fishing gears in the area.

After years of continuous efforts, monk seals have began to progressively re-colonize open beaches of the protected area for hauling out. The final step, the use of open beaches as breeding habitat is the event that took place in September, perhaps the beginning of a new conservation path for this colony.

The pup is a female and is in good shape condition. The birth took place in a beach located a few hundreds of meters south of one of the main breeding caves.

This fact joins the progressive recovery of the population, which in 1998 was estimated to have a size of around 100 individuals and that today is almost reaching 200. Although the situation is still critical, these last events bring hope for the future of this population and the species.

Source:
Message sent to the MARMAM list by Pablo Fernandez de Larrinoa
Programa de conservación de la foca monje en Cabo Blanco
Fundación CBD-Habitat, Madrid, Spain

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Photo by CBD-Habitat

Bleak future for Mediterranean mammals

The latest assessment of Mediterranean mammals shows that one in six is threatened with extinction at a regional level, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Learn more at:
http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/news_events/?3888/Bleak-future-for-Mediterranean-mammals--IUCN

Continued illegal driftnetting off Morocco

A large fleet of illegal driftnets deploying nets up to 14 km in length continues to operate business as usual in Morocco, targeting swordfish for the European market.

According to WWF, this illegal fishing is likely to have caused the accidental deaths of as many as 20,000 dolphins and more than 100,000 sharks in the past five years alone.

Fisheries experts from WWF recently visited Morocco where they were told by driftnet fishermen that no changes in the fishing activity of this illegal fleet had occurred in the past few years – despite international prohibitions.

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For more information:
www.panda.org

Also see:
Bearzi G. 2009. When swordfish conservation biologists eat swordfish. Conservation Biology 23(1):1-2. (84 Kb)

Collisions between ships and cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea

A new web site (in English and Italian) has been created to document the problem of collisions between ships and cetaceans - particularly large animals such as fin whales and sperm whales.

The site was made by the Tethys Research Institute to document and raise awareness on the problem in Mediterranean waters, where collisions represent a significant threat.

The project, funded by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, is being conducted in collaboration with ACCOBAMS and the IWC.

Visit the web site: www.collisioni.org

Mediterranean monk seal conservation in Greece

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Honorary President of Tethys, just completed a work for MOm, the Hellenic Society for the study and protection of the Mediterranean monk seal, which includes a national conservation strategy.

The work is summarised in two documents, which can be downloaded from the links below.

Conservation strategy

Full report

No cetaceans in captivity in Croatia

The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Croatia enacted a new "Ordinance concerning the conditions of keeping protected animals in captivity, marking methods and keeping
records thereof".

According to this new regulation, Croatia prohibits keeping cetaceans in captivity for commercial purposes, including dolphinaria, aquaria and similar facilities.

The only exception could be granted by the Ministry of Culture if the animals are injured or sick and the solely purpose of their keeping is rehabilitation and recovery to return to nature.

This regulation was adopted based on the expertise study prepared by the State Institute for Nature Protection. Valuable information and evaluations included in the study were provided by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

With adoption of this regulation, Croatia has met provisions of the ACCOBAMS Resolution 3.13. on Dolphin Interaction Programmes, adopted at the Third Meetings of Parties organized in Dubrovnik in 2007.

Watch out: jellyfish!

Jellyfish blooms were rare episodes in the Mediterranean until the last eight years, when massive swarms of gelatinous organisms have become a frequent sight in coastal waters. Although overfishing and climate warming are amongst the most probable drivers, the specific causes and mechanisms are not well identified, and the lack of reference data makes any further investigation difficult.

The new CIESM Jelly Watch Programme shall gather for the first time baseline data on the frequency and extent of jellyfish outbreaks across the Mediterranean Sea.

Coastal users (fishermen, divers, tourists) but also ferry passengers, are invited to report sightings of jellyfish swarms (see poster for species) with information on the location, type and extension of the observed swarms. Records are sentkey scientists who act as focal points in different regions. After accurate screening and validation of the records, data will be centralized and integrated in the CIESM Metabase.

National JellyWatch Focal Points:
Croatia - Adam Benovic, University of Zagreb
Israel - Bella Galil, IOLR
Italy - Ferdinando Boero, Univ. del Salento: boero[at]unile.it

For more information:

CIESM Jellywatch Program website

Boero et al. 2008 "Gelatinous plankton: irregularities rule the world (sometimes)" Mar Ecol Prog Ser 356: 299–310.

Premio internazionale per la tutela dei cetacei a Sabrina Giannini, giornalista di Report

Tredici organizzazioni attive nel campo della ricerca e tutela dei cetacei hanno conferito alla giornalista Sabrina Giannini il premio “Cetacean Conservation Star” per il suo impegno nella sensibilizzazione del pubblico riguardo al sovrasfruttamento delle risorse ittiche e alla pesca illegale con reti derivanti, un vero flagello per delfini, balene e altre specie minacciate del Mediterraneo.

Le tredici organizzazioni, che rappresentano circa 400.000 soci, hanno deciso di premiare Sabrina Giannini per il documentario “Mare Nostrum”, realizzato per la trasmissione di RaiTre “Report” condotta da Milena Gabanelli.

Nicolas Entrup, portavoce di WDCS, la Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, ha affermato: “Sabrina Giannini e i suoi collaboratori hanno documentato il proseguimento della pesca illegale con reti derivanti e hanno chiarito i meccanismi che consentono questo scempio, che spesso avviene sotto gli occhi delle Autorità italiane”. “In seguito a questa denuncia molte reti sono state sequestrate e le attività di pesca illegale sono state interrotte, si spera per sempre, salvando così la vita a molti delfini, capodogli, mante, tartarughe marine e altri animali protetti che cadono vittima di queste reti”.

“Documentare l’impatto distruttivo delle attività umane che minacciano la vita nel mare è di enorme importanza”, ha sostenuto Xavier Pastor di Oceana Europe. “Sabrina e i suoi collaboratori di Report lo hanno fatto molto bene e con grande coraggio, riuscendo a ottenere risultati importanti e sensibilizzando il pubblico e le istituzioni sui grandi problemi legati alla gestione della pesca in Mediterraneo”.

Il premio è stato consegnato da Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Presidente onorario dell’Istituto Tethys, nel corso di una semplice cerimonia tenutasi presso l’Acquario Civico di Milano.

Sabrina Giannini ha avuto modo di ribadire il suo impegno e ha affermato: “Per cancellare definitivamente le reti derivanti credo fosse importante mostrare il vero volto dei pescatori che ne fanno uso, un volto diverso dallo stereotipo del bravo e povero pescatore che guadagna il necessario per la sopravvivenza. Si tratta di pescatori che si sono arricchiti, sprezzanti delle regole e dell’etica. Credo fosse ancora più grave la 'tolleranza' e la complicità dei politici del Sud Italia che per dieci anni hanno lasciato operare questi pescatori in una sostanziale impunità, a dispetto dei pescatori onesti e delle specie marine drammaticamente coinvolte. Da quando il servizio televisivo ha fatto emergere l’impunità di cui godevano questi pescatori, mi ha piacevolmente colpita il fatto che ci sia stata una diffusa presa di coscienza, anche da parte della politica e delle capitanerie coinvolte, che stanno eseguendo numerosi controlli e sequestri. Non so se e quanto durerà l’attuale situazione. Ho reso noto alle istituzioni italiane la mia intenzione a documentare questa situazione finché la pesca al pescespada continuerà ad essere fatta con l’uso delle reti derivanti. Potrebbe essere una guerra lunga, ma vale la pena combatterla e il vostro autorevole riconoscimento è un importante sostegno. Per questo ringrazio tutti voi”.

Per maggiori informazioni:
http://www.cetaceanalliance.org/star/Sabrina_Giannini.htm

HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Yann Arthus-Bertrand became famous through the “Earth from above,” a photographic portrait of aerial shots of our planet. Three million copies of his book have been sold and his free, open-air exhibitions have been seen by more than one hundred million people.

The movie HOME carries on this tradition. This feature will be made up of aerial images which have been filmed in more than fifty countries around the world. A voice-off will offer constructive hindsight into the major environmental and social challenges facing our world.

The worldwide release of the movie will be organized by EuropaCorp on June 5th, 2009 – World Environment Day – in cinemas, on television, on DVD and on the Internet around the world. The aim of this simultaneous worldwide broadcasting is to enable as many people as possible to watch the movie together.

The objective of HOME is not to make a profit. Its only benefit will be to contribute towards increasing awareness of our responsibility towards the planet. Profits will be donated to Goodplanet.org

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http://www.home-2009.com/us/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/homeproject

http://www.facebook.com/pages/HOME-WATCH-THIS-MOVIE/57902450052

http://fmcinema.altrovideo.com/2009/05/14/visioni/cinema/home-di-yann-arthus-bertrand/

Artemis: life and death of a monk seal

Please find below a message by Dr. Spyros Kotomatas, Director of MOm, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Monk Seal.

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Dear friends and colleagues,

With great disappointment and sorrow I would like, on behalf of all of us at MOm, to inform you that Artemis, the orphan monk seal pup rescued and treated by MOm for a 4 month period, and released in the core zone of the National Marine Park of Alonnisos Northern Sporades in Greece just over a month ago, was found dead on the 14th of May. Based on the results of the necropsy conducted the animal died of drowning, most probably due to entanglement in fishing gear.

Do find below the press release that we have just issued in relation to the particular case, that provides a detail account of the events and the up to date available information.

A sad last message from Artemis

On Thursday 14th of May, our organization received sad and disheartening news: orphaned monk seal pup ‘Artemis’ had been found dead at the port of Skiathos. Subsequent investigations, including the results of a necropsy performed by a veterinary pathologist from the Netherlands, indicate that she had drowned, most probably as a result of becoming entangled in fishing gear.

With a clean bill of health from her veterinarians, Artemis had been released just over a month ago, into the core zone of the National Marine Park of Alonnisos, Northern Sporades (NMPANS) — this following 4 months of treatment at MOm’s Monk Seal Rehabilitation Centre, that had raised her from a vulnerable week-old pup to a vigorous young seal.

After her body was discovered at Skiathos, events unfolded as follows:

- MOm’s response team recovered the carcass and, in collaboration with the local Port Police authorities, managed to transfer it to Athens that same evening.

- Prof. Dr. Thijs Kuiken, a veterinary pathologist specialising in marine mammals at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, travelled urgently to Greece to conduct a full necropsy at the zoology laboratory at the University of Athens. He was assisted by MOm’s own biologists, who are also experienced in performing monk seal necropsies.

- The necropsy established that Artemis was in excellent nutritional condition and overall health, having a normal weight for her age. There was clear evidence that the seal had died as a result of drowning.

“The results of the necropsy,” said Dr. Thijs Kuiken, “led to the clear conclusion that the animal died of acute pneumonic edema, caused by drowning. The fresh food remains identified in the stomach and the evidence of active digestion in the digestive tract substantiate further that death was sudden.”

To further assess the condition of the animal, additional data were utilized, obtained through the attached satellite tag (GPS mobile telephony tag), that recorded Artemis’ movements and behavior during her post-release monitoring, a program conducted by MOm in collaboration with the Sea Mammal Research Unit of UK. Artemis, up until her death, exhibited a gradual and continuously increasing mobility and diving ability, first around her release site and then outside the NMPANS, covering distances of more than 100 nautical miles, and with dives exceeding 150 meters in depth.

The specific conditions in which the death occurred, as well as the exact cause of drowning, may yet be determined through further in-depth analysis, both of samples from the necropsy, and satellite tag data from the last few hours prior to the animal’s death.

At this point, however, interpretation of the accumulated evidence suggests that Artemis may have drowned as a result of becoming entangled in fishing gear.

“Although the young seal quickly adjusted to its natural environment,” says Vangelis Paravas, Conservation and Policy Coordinator of MOm, “the harsh but unavoidable fact is that Artemis ultimately also had to face the reality of surviving in the wild, just as the rest of the remaining monk seals in the Mediterranean Sea.”

Data stemming from MOm’s long-term research — notably from its current European Commission LIFE-MOFI project, that investigates seal-fisheries interactions throughout the country — have shown that the entanglement of monk seals in fishing gear, and especially in nets, constitutes one of the most significant threats for the Greek population of the species, the largest in the EU.

This threat, occurring commonly during spring, is the main cause of death in immature monk seals. In fact, 47% of the mortality recorded in immature animals is attributable to entanglements.

As part of the MOFI project and in consultation with artisanal professional fishermen and their representatives, MOm is formulating specific proposals to the Greek government to mitigate monk seal mortality and promote sustainable coastal fisheries.

“Despite difficult and disappointing times like today,” says Dr. Spyros Kotomatas, Director of MOm, “monk seal rescue, treatment and rehabilitation remains a key priority for MOm in the conservation of Europe’s most endangered marine mammal.”

We will keep you informed of any further developments as they become available.

MOm, would like to thank all people, institutions and bodies that participated, assisted and supported the particular effort and express our commitment to continue with conviction the course towards achieving MOm’s mission to conserve the most critically endangered marine mammal in Europe and to protect the marine environment of Greece.

Dr. Spyros Kotomatas
Director of MOm

Prince Charles' video to save the rain forests

A campaign to save the rain forests was recently launched by the Prince of Wales, based on a 90-sec video that relies on state-of-the-art software and internet strategy.

Read more and see the video at: www.time.com

The video features pople such as Harrison Ford ('actor, conservationist'), the Dalai Lama ('simple Buddhist monk'), Kermit the frog, and an actual (digital) frog.

GB

The End of the Line

A feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans. The film shows firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food.

It examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation.

Filmed across the world – from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market – featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen and fisheries enforcement officials, The End of the Line is a wake-up call to the world.

In the film's web site http://endoftheline.com/ you can preview excellent video shots, waiting for the film to be released.

The web site also allows you to claim your bit of ocean - it's a nice idea and a smart way of making the point.

GB

Mediterranean region: ever drier by 2100

'A new study suggests that the impact of climate change on the Mediterranean region will change precipitation and evaporation rates over land and sea, creating even drier conditions. A greater amount of atmospheric moisture will be lost from the region. Agriculture may suffer as a result, and the salinity of the Mediterranean Sea could increase.
The study suggests that many of the projected changes will have started by 2020-2049, with further changes gradually intensifying until 2070-2099.
Long-term changes project a decrease in precipitation and an equal increase in evaporation over the Mediterranean Sea, making the sea increasingly saline: the degree of salinity will depend on the inflow of fresh water from the Atlantic Ocean through the Gibraltar Strait.
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For more information:
Original article by EU DG Environment

Sea lions and marine debris

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game with Sea Gypsy Research produced an educational video called ‘Entanglement of Steller sea lions in marine debris: identifying causes and finding solutions’.

The video describes how Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) become entangled and - most of the time - dye for this reason, which are the most common sources of entangling debris, and what one could do to help reduce the number of entanglements.

These animals are threatened because of us and unfortunately this problem is not only related to sea lions but affects any marine animals such as cetaceans, elasmobranchs, pinnipeds, sea-turtles, marine birds, and big fishes.

As the video says: “... Since many of us live near some types of waterway, enjoy eating seafood and use plastic materials, we all contribute to the problem... Let’s be part of the solution!”

SB

The video (11 min. long)

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For more information:
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/
http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/marine_deb.html

Don't feed wild dolphins animation

What is a dolphin doing in front of a fireplace with a brown bear, a seagull, another dolphin and two racoons?

He is telling the others 'patients' about his problems, and how it all started...

“For me it started with one hit of sardines.
Oooh... Sardines.
That's when I learned to beg.
It was easy to score free fish.
I mean eh, with this dolphin smile... [clicks].
Yeah, it's illegal but no one cares.
I had a monkey on my back and I was "jonesing" for people food...
Hanging out under boats, dodging props and hooks, doing dangerous stuff that I'm ashamed to admit?
Look... I know that I can kick this, if people would just stop feeding me”.

This animated announcement was produced by a coalition of governmental agencies and private organisations. Through innovative communication, it reminds viewers that feeding wild dolphins or harassing them is illegal and harmful to both dolphins and humans.

Watch the video

Silvia Bonizzoni

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For more information: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov

The Cove

The movie called 'The Cove' features the attempts of a team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in the small vilage of Taiji (Japan). The mysteries they uncover are only the tip of an iceberg...

This documentary on dolphin captivity issues and dolphin meat consumption won the Audience Award at 2009's Sundance Film Festival.

To see the trailer: http://thecovemovie.com/

SB

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For more information:
http://festival.sundance.org
http://www.salon.com