MY REACTION ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY THE COVE 1

My Reaction about the Documentary: The Cove

Baltodano
University of Costa Rica
MY REACTION ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY THE COVE 2

Topic: Reaction Paper to a Documentary.

Title: My Reaction about the Documentary the Cove.

Thesis Statement: In fact, the aquatic parks that exhibit fish, brutal Japanese fishing

practices and the degradations of oceans are a danger to the aquatic ecosystem.

I. Introduction

A. Thesis Statement: In fact, the aquatic parks that exhibit fish, brutal Japanese
fishing practices and the degradations of oceans are a danger to the aquatic
ecosystem.

B. Introduce Documentary.

C. Concluding Sentence.

D. Attention Getter.

II. Body

A. Aquatic Parks that Exhibit Fish.

a) Topic Sentence.

b) Dolphins die in water parks due to stress.

c) “The nerve center of any dolphinarium is the fish house and if you go to
any one of these fish houses you will see bottles of Maalox and Tagament,
and they are used because dolphins get ulcers because they are all stressed
out” (The Cove, 2009).
d) My Opinion.

e) Dolphins die in water parks due to noise.

f) My Opinion.

g) Dolphins die in water parks due to depression.

h) My Opinion.

i) Concluding Sentence.

B. Brutal Japanese Fishing Practices.

a) Topic Sentence.

b) Dolphins are brutally hunted to sell their meat.

c) "The captivity industry keeps this slaughter going by rewarding the
fishermen for their bad behavior” (The Cove, 2009).
d) My Opinion.
MY REACTION ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY THE COVE 3

e) People sell these meats as whale meat.

f) My Opinion.

g) Authorities try to hide that dolphin meat has high mercury content.
h) My Opinion.

i) Concluding Sentence.

C. Degradations of oceans.

a) Topic Sentence.

b) Massacre of dolphins.
c) “we have been diving for over 35 years, and you could go back to the same
dive sport year after year and literally see the degradation of oceans before
your very eyes” (The Cove, 2009).
d) My Opinion.

e) Pollution caused by fishing boats.

f) My Opinion.

g) Extinction of fish.
h) My Opinion.

i) Concluding Sentence.

III. Conclusion

A. Topic Sentence: refreshing of thesis statement

B. Supporting Sentence of re-state point 1.

C. Supporting Sentence of re-state point 2.

D. Supporting Sentence of re-state point 3.

E. Concluding Sentence.
MY REACTION ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY THE COVE 4

My Reaction about the Documentary the Cove

For this reaction paper, I will give my opinion about the problems that exist in the

maritime system throughout the world in relation to the aquatic parks that exhibit fish, the

brutal Japanese fishing practices and the degradations of oceans. This documentary 'The

Cove.' is an American documentary directed by filmmaker Louie Psihoyos in 2009. It talks

about the dolphin hunting practices in Japan, analyzes and questions mass dolphin kills in

Taiji. This documentary pretend to open the mind of the people to change Japanese fishing

practices, and educate the public about of mercury poisoning from dolphin meat. In Costa

Rica, although not as evident as in Japan, we suffer problems that affect the aquifer mantles

too; Some examples of these problems are see pollution caused by hotel companies, illegal

hunting of turtles and deforestation on the shores of the beaches. So, do you want to join the

change? The change starts with you.

An issue that this documentary discusses, and I agree, is the exhibition of fish in the

water parks. There, animals like dolphins are dying in captivity; they usually die due to the

stress, noise and depression that dolphins get when they are in a pool and not in the wild. The

documentary film by Psihoyos (2009) say about these places “the nerve center of any

dolphinarium is the fish house and if you go to any one of these fish houses you will see

bottles of Maalox and Tagament, and they are used because dolphins get ulcers because they

are all stressed out”; Dolphin like many fish in the wild are traveling many miles a day, they

feeding and socializing; therefore, if they are captured and put in a concrete tank, they can die

about the stress. Besides, dolphin are acoustic creatures and very sensitive to sound, and they

are dying in to the tank because they lives surrounded by a stadium full of screaming people.

It is because the filtration system was making a lot of noise. Also, the documentary film

support the claim that (Psihoyos, 2009) “the death of Cathy, she was really depressed. I could
MY REACTION ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY THE COVE 5

feel it, I could see it and she committed suicide in my arms”, because dolphins are not happy

inside a tank, they can get depressed when they miss the ocean. We in Costa Rica do not have

many water parks where we can go see dolphins but people have fish tanks in their homes,

offices, etc; just as dolphins die in water parks, fish die in a fish tank due to stress, noise and

depression. Do not buy fish to have them in captivity, do not support the people who do it,

remember you can make the change.

Another reason why I am in agreement with the documentary is because in Taiji exist

a brutal Japanese fishing practices. Dolphins that are not selected for water parks are brutally

hunted to sell their meat, sometimes people sell these meats as whale meat, and authorities try

to hide it because dolphin meat has high mercury content. According to Richard O’Barry

(Earth Island Institute) "The captivity industry keeps this slaughter going by rewarding the

fishermen for their bad behavior” (The Cove, 2009); this means that fishermen not just hunt

dolphins to sell the meat but it is a cruelty process where the dolphins suffer a lot. Also, in

Japan dolphin meat is sold as expensive meat from larger whales and the consumer may think

that they are buying healthy meat; these dolphin meats have levels of mercury that are 20

times higher than World Health Organization recommendations. Consequently, fishermen not

just harm dolphins; they also harm the health of people in Japan. Here in Costa Rica there are

people who, like in Taiji, mistreat the fish when they hunt them. For example, people hunt

sharks just to remove their fins; besides, the Baulas turtle eggs are another species that is

threatened by people's consumption. Daily there are many fish that are suffering due to of the

hand of man; we should change fishing practices.

The last reason why I agree with the documentary is because due to the massacre of

dolphins like many other fish, the pollution caused by fishing boats and the extinction of

some fish the oceans degrades more and more. In this documentary film Louie Psihoyos (co-
MY REACTION ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY THE COVE 6

founder, Oceanic Preservation Society) say “we have been diving for over 35 years, and you

could go back to the same dive sport year after year and literally see the degradation of

oceans before your very eyes” (The Cove, 2009); oceans are degrading when killing

dolphins, sharks, turtles and other fish; every day fish are becoming extinct, we can see that

the main extinctions of fish are occurring right now. Also, the pollution caused by fishing

boats is an issue that contributes with the disappearance of aquifers. Fishing boats shower

tons of garbage and fuel a day in the ocean. For example, in Costa Rica there are pollution

caused by fishing boats too, and we have the hotel industries that throw their waste into the

sea; Authorities should demand solutions and we must inform and accuse these awful habits

to make a change.

In conclusion, the degradation of our oceans is due to the capture of fish for water

parks, cruel hunts of fish for sale and the pollution of the sea. In water parks dolphins and fish

are dying due to the stress, noise and depression when they are captured and put in a concrete

tank. Also, this documentary show how in Taiji dolphins are brutally hunted to sell their

meat, sell these meats as whale meat, and it is dangerous for our health due to this meat has

high mercury content. Therefore, degradation of the oceans is more evident. The

documentary 'The Cove.' shows what is happening in Japan but it motivates us to relate it to

what happens in our country; in Costa Rica, as in many countries, we are suffering the

degradation of our beaches and oceans because people without values who every day catch

and hunt our fish. We must have the courage and denounce whole these repugnant practices

to stop the extinction of our fish and we be able to enjoy the beauty of the ocean.

References

Stevens, F., DuPre, P. (film producers) Psihovos, L. (cinema director). (2009). The Cove.

[Documentary]. The United States of America: Nation Earth.