by AquaNerd | Apr 29, 2014 | Conservation, Fish, Industry
The production team that filmed “The Cove”, a popular documentary that brought to light the extreme dolphin slaughtering in Japan, is back with a brand new movie that will focus on the larger issues of illegal wildlife trafficking and the possibility of mass extinction that are both taking place in oceans and seas across the globe as we speak. Simply called “6″, this movie utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and undercover tactics to expose the black market trading of endangered species, such as products made from whale sharks, giant clams, and hundreds of others. The trailer for the movie, posted above, shows some of the guerrilla reporting tactics used by the team, as they scour the streets of various Asian communities exposing black market dealers, who obviously aren’t always thrilled to find out they’re being investigated by the production team. Also displayed in the brief promo is a more positive side effect of the team’s efforts…a public awareness campaign involving a mobile projector, a fast car, and one very talented NASCAR driver. The trailer shows Leilani Munter driving a Jaguar fitted with a video projector around various parts of what we presume to be cities in the United States. The projector blasts imagery of marine life onto surrounding buildings, no doubt captivating pedestrians and drivers alike. Since increasing public awareness about travesties such as those currently taking place on the black market is so paramount to sparking a change. by AquaNerd | Apr 17, 2014 | Conservation, Invertebrates, Science
Here is a very troubling story out of Malaysia. According to The Star Online, a group of nine Vietnamese fishermen were arrested for illegally harvesting dozens of giant clams whose combined weight totalled nearly 20 metric tons (almost 44,000 pounds). The arrest is reportedly the first of its kind, but officials strongly believe that this isn’t the first incident for these fisherman, who were arrsted on Monday. The clams have a value of RM500,000, which roughly translates to somethine like $150,000 US, as their shells are valuable in the curio trade as well as in the cosmetics industry. The giant clams, which are probably of the species but could include several others, are obviously endangered and protected marine species that require specialized permitting to collect. It is even illegal to sell the clam shells without special permits. In addition to the fishermen, the boat company is also under investigation, as it is believed that they entered into a joint venture with the fishermen to harvest the clams
