Our Cousin the Killer Whale: You Are What You Eat

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/04/16/Call_of_the_Killer_Whale_Jean-Michel_Cousteau

Jean-Michel Cousteau shows an excerpt from his PBS special Call of the Killer Whale that compares the toxins found in orcas to those found in man. PCBs and PBDEs are among the tested toxins.

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"I've always said, if you protect the ocean, you protect yourself," says Cousteau. The son of Jacques Cousteau travels to the most extreme locations on Earth, combining science with storytelling, to reveal how the ocean is connected with our own lives.

His "Ocean Adventures" series and killer whale documentary brings to light the threats to sea life because of human activity, and ways we can protect these important creatures. - Commonwealth Club of California

Jean-Michel Cousteau is a French explorer, environmentalist, educator, film producer, the first son of ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and is the father of Fabien Cousteau and Celine Cousteau.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• pcb
• pcde
• toxic
• chemicals
• pollution
• pollutants
• toxins
• environmental
• whales
• food
• fish
• oceans
• water
• kids
• children
• pbs
• special
• call
• killer
• whale
• orca
• orcas
• fora.tv
• foratv
• fora
• tv

[b0dhran]

Okay, Thanks for this ! I will put a new links in when I next update my pages ! I was watching PBS during the height of the oil spill -- but they ran out of time.

I hope I see you if you come back and give another lecture ! Nous sommes de bonne compains !

[smith325]

Perhaps the Orcas are smoking cigarettes with FSC?

[HappyJake100]

I dont think they are talking about eating Orcas.....Maybe they are speaking to the fact that we are consuming fish just as the orcas do. Also high fat meats...which many people do eat. Which is what the orcas eat.. these chemicals are in the things we eat is what they are saying.

[SidneyXda]

OMG do people eat Orca's?? how can you eat that blubber? i tell ya white people can eat any shit. They eat the most weirdest of things.

[yomamastank808]

who would want to there soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute

[OceanFuturesSociety]

You need to see the entire film to understand the concern about toxic chemicals in orca and humans. In the film, Dr Peter Ross explains how orca have high levels of PCBs & PDBEs (flame retardants) & how these compounds are disrupting their immune systems & reproduction. Its one reason why populations of orca in BC are declining & why offspring die before their parents. PCBs are banned, though PBDEs are still used. And Californians have the highest levels of PBDEs in the world. Help ban PBDEs.

[AlaskaRanchedSalmon]

Way to go Technosnob303;

Absolutely spot on comment and responses. Well done. Couldn't have said it better! This journalism is crass, just crass.

[28daveslater]

you heard her she's high on pcp!

bloody medical students.

[thegreatpadaxes]

well we all learned a valuable lesson today. Don't eat orcas.

[technosnob303]

I take your point but this goes beyond informing to scare tactics. It comes across as a very disingenuine social concern. ForaTV normally ignore formatting and the conventions of medium for pure lecture based to-camera content. This is a rare expection that lets Fora down not by its content, which is normally open to interpretation through absense of form, but by form it self. The subject may be right and noble but the method is ultimaley harmful to it. And thanks for a mature, considered reply.