“The Cove,” a documentary film about the slaughter of dolphins for meat in Taiji, Japan, won best feature documentary at the 2010 Academy Awards. I wrote about the powerful film a few months ago [see: "The Cove, a Must See Documentary"], and was hoping that it would win.

The film did not get very much press coverage in Japan, and was only shown at two small engagements. The company that has bought the rights to the film is working on a version that hides the identity of the residents of Taiji (as the film was shot clandestinely and without permission.

It is too early to tell if the best documentary award will lead to widescale screenings of the film around Japan. Though with the Oscar buzz, hopefully more people in Japan will see the film and demand a stop to the slaughter. It is at least now getting some media attention.

Boyd Harnell, a journalist who has been reporting on this issue since 2005 said, “I am very happy the film won the award because it’s important that people know this type of (activity) is a health issue. The real issue is that fishermen (are) poisoning their own people.”

Again, the most troubling issue is that dolphin meat contains very high concentrations of methyl mercury, a known neurotoxin. Town officials from Taiji insist that the the dolphin hunt and eating dolphin meat is a cultural tradition.

This issue will continue to be in the media, as Animal Planet has greenlit a TV show tentatively titled “Dolphin Warriors” to pick up where the film left off. Apparently dolphins are no longer slaughtered in the cove, but in offshore nets away from prying eyes. The show will follow Rick O’Barry, who was the main star of “The Cove” as he continues his fight to help dolphins worldwide.