"The Cove" Makes Headway in Japan as Taiji Tests Residents for Mercury Poisoning
LONDON (October 15, 2009) – The Japanese town of Taiji is testing its residents' mercury levels for the first time. The issue of mercury-laden dolphin meat being sold in Taiji and across Japan, often as mislabeled whale meat, was exposed through the release of the film The Cove. The multi award-winning documentary reveals the connection between the capture of dolphins in Taiji and the poisoning of those that eat the toxic dolphin meat.
Taiji, located south of Kyoto in Wakamaya Prefecture, is the center of the captive dolphin industry where hundreds are captured for amusement parks each year. The town also hosts the largest slaughter of dolphins on the planet. Between September and March of every year, about 2,300 are killed for meat, even though dolphin meat can be dozens of times more toxic with mercury than allowed by Japanese law. Because of international outcry from The Cove
, the town began releasing dolphins at the start of this year's killing season and began testing some of the town's 3,500 residents for mercury. Early results showed that on average, the residents have 10 times the level of mercury as the average Japanese consumer. The average Japanese consumer already has mercury levels of more than 10 times the world average.
While many Taiji residents have resisted the international outcry against the dolphin capture in Taiji, the results of how much methyl mercury is found in their hair samples could make them reconsider the consequences of the capture. "The move shows the town's growing awareness of the risks of eating dolphin and that mercury contamination may threaten local health," said Minoru Matsutani of The Japan Times in a recent article.
Studies from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry in Japan have shown that bottlenose dolphins can have methyl mercury levels up to 22 times higher than what the government's health standards allow. Despite the findings, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry still recommends bottlenose dolphin meat to expectant mothers, in spite of the known deleterious effects on a fetus. Previous independent studies have also shown that some Taiji residents have levels of mercury high enough to cause nerve damage, similar to victims of Minamata Disease. Symptoms can include memory loss, difficulty hearing and seeing, tremors, difficulty moving limbs, hair loss, and language disorders.
The Japanese public will have the opportunity to see The Cove for the first time at the Tokyo International Film Festival next week. The October 21st screening, which is sold out, has already generated much attention from opposition and supporters alike. Meanwhile, the film is close to securing Japanese distribution.
Louie Psihoyos, Director of the festival hit film, offered to sponsor a screening for the town of Taiji today at a proposed Ocean Film Festival. He will be attending the Wednesday morning screening in Tokyo.
Psihoyos said, “The tragic irony is that the dolphin is the only wild animal that throughout history is legendary for saving the lives of humans – unfortunately the only way we humans can save the life of a dolphin now is to prove that we have made their environment so toxic that we cannot eat them. And it’s not just dolphins and whales that are becoming toxic, it’s all the seafood we like to eat like tuna, swordfish, marlin, shark, and even freshwater fish like walleye pike and bass. And that’s not just a Japanese problem – it’s a world-wide problem.”
Ric O'Barry, marine mammal specialist at the Earth Island Institute, has been telling the residents of Taiji that eating dolphin meat is a human rights violation for years, and that dolphin meat is not food-- it's poison. O'Barry, the trainer of Flipper, is the protagonist of The Cove, which has been winning festival awards around the world from Sundance to Sydney.
"This film is proof that a film cannot only entertain - it can also change the world," Psihoyos said.
Contact:
Gina Papabeis
Oceanic Preservation Society
303-444-2454
gina@opsociety.org
http://www.opsociety.org
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