The Cove
Student Worksheet
This 2009 documentary is about the efforts of Ric Barry, a former dolphin trainer who worked on the Flipper TV series, to put an end to dolphin hunting in Japan. A film crew sets up multiple hidden cameras around a secret cove that fisherman in the small coastal town of Taiji use to herd and kill dolphins, which they then sell for meat. A moratorium on commercial whale hunting has been in place since the 1980s, but Japan and other countries have use a loophole to allow it to continue.
The documentary questions the ethics of the hunting practice itself, whether it is sustainable, and the potential human health issues in regards to the biomagnification of mercury poisoning.
This worksheet contains critical thinking questions for students to consider and answer as they watch each segment of the documentary.
Essential concepts: Dolphin hunting, whale hunting, aquatic ecosystems, coastal ecosystems, biodiversity, sustainable fishing, biomagnification, mercury poisoning.
Answer Key: Available for purchase at the environmental science instructor resources subscription page.
