The Cove

[Pete Askew]

We watched the documentary film The Cove this evening. Not pleasant viewing but I can recommend it. I'm sure it was not all straight documentary and it has been edited to reinforce the overall exposé, but it is worth seeing as the issue is real enough.

The Cove Movie: Welcome

 

[Paul Lange]

I find these types of films too depressing to watch and often wonder if they loose some credibility when they are a bit loose with the truth in order to sensationalise. Thanks Pete, next time I feel that I am too happy this will sort me out.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Did they say where the Mercury came from?

I have a good friend who was in the US Submarine corps during the cold war - and he said that they used to use mercury as ballast on subs, and dump it outside the harbor before docking....

He doesn't eat seafood from areas around submarine bases

 

[Pete Askew]

No and that kind of felt like a bolted on set of facts to the main story - sort of, if we can't just shock the world about the killing then maybe people will worry about the mercury. As with most of the large predators the source is assumed to be an accumulation of mercury released into the oceans by general industrial activity. I guess countries with a large electronics industry are likely to have more in their coastal and near ocean waters than those that don't. I'm not sure about mercury as ballast in submarines. Maybe as part of the permanent stabilisation but it would be far too expensive to dump I would have thought - seawater is cheaper!