Paradise Lost: Deep Ocean Exploration and Whale Hunting

The opening night of the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival left me with two favorite finds: The first was KQED's profile (produced by Amy Miller and Joan Johnson) of Sylvia Earle.

Sylvia's enthusiasm and adoration for ocean exploration is contagious. The stories about Earle's experience of being the first female explorer as well as one of the first deep water explorers were equally entertaining and fascinating. (Earle and 5 other female scientists lived at the bottom of the ocean for two weeks; when they set out, the main questions asked by reporters were about how they were planning to do their nails.) Earle has a unique perspective, and leaves us was with the stark awareness that the next ten years are possibly some of the most crucial years on the planet in regards to determining the future health of the oceans.

Another film not to be missed is To Save The Whales, by award winning filmmaker Gavin Newman. Ok, so you can get from the title that this is not a fun film to watch. But it was utterly informative and fascinating as it delved into the complexity of understanding cultural political play involved with stopping Japan's whaling practice. Equally interesting was the story of how Greenpeace became involved with whale protection and what motivates the activists involved with the direct actions. Truth be told, I wouldn't have complained if the film was twenty minutes shorter, but footage was incredible, and if nothing else you should go see it for the aerial shots of the arctic. But as I write this, I am haunted by the hunting scenes of the whales being shot, drown, and dragged onto the Japanese ships.

As with any good documentary I left the theater with the illusion that I had somehow participated with the issue and am now part of the mission to spread awareness and information about the process of whaling. (A clever if not obvious and purposeful section of the film was dedicated to hitting the audience over the head with the distinct power of media to bring stories to the world that might not otherwise get exposed).

So since you can't readily get your hands on the film, a few facts: Japan's whale hunt is allowed under international rules as a scientific program, despite a 1986 ban on commercial whaling. The Japanese started Whale hunting when other meats were scarce after World War II. It is no longer a common food in the country, although meat is sold in Japanese supermarkets and upscale restaurants. I wish I could send you a link to this informative and fascinating film, but atlas, I believe the only way to get access to it is to contact the Gavin Newman directly.

As an aside, two days ago I caught up with under water photographer Bryant Austin, who photographs whales, it is interesting to note the consistent theme in which media is being used with purpose, and is being taken directly to the countries who are involved with killing these creatures so they can...put a face to the meat they are eating. In Bryant's case he is taking the photos to Norway, and as you can see in Newman's film, he takes the facts and information to Japan to talk to tell the people the influence of their government (The film states that billions of tax dollars spent of whaling a meat that is a surplus).

Head over to the blog to catch Sylvia Earle's talk at the TED conference in 2009.