[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] "Dolphin Defender" shares a disease with his subjects

Filmmaker sheds light on dangers facing dolphins

"The Voice of the Dolphins" by Hardy Jones tells of both the beauty of dolphins in the wild and threats to these magnificent creatures from hunting and ocean pollution

SAINT AUGUSTINE, Fla. (MMD Newswire) May 9, 2011 -- In "The Voice of the Dolphins" (ISBN 1456377531), ocean conservationist Hardy Jones aims to reveal intimate details of dolphins in the wild and the emerging threats to their very existence.

Jones, a wildlife conservationist and filmmaker, has a connection to dolphins he could never have imagined when he first ventured into their realm more than thirty years ago. In "The Voice of the Dolphins," Jones tells of fascinating and inspirational discoveries made while studying dolphins in the wild. He then turns to his campaign to stop the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. However, the author argues that an even greater lethal threat to dolphins--and, it turns out, to humans--is the rising level of contaminants in the ocean food chain.

Jones stands as living proof of the danger mankind faces. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer associated with chemical toxins. Blood tests revealed he had highly elevated levels of chemicals such as DDT, flame retardants and hexachlorobenzine in his blood and tissues--the same chemicals found in ever-greater concentrations throughout dolphin populations around the world. The diagnosis spurred him to seek the sources of the pollutants in his own body and to document their impact on marine life and human beings. Jones has found dolphins with multiple myeloma, and his research reveals extreme levels of contamination in those dolphins tested.

Dolphins, Jones argues, are sentinels of the health of the oceans; if that is so, the warning they are sending is dire indeed. Dolphins around the world are being diagnosed with rising levels of disease--diseases that were unknown in these creatures until recently. There is increasing evidence the same diseases are emerging in humans who consume large quantities of certain seafood.

Of his continuing face-to-face relationships with dolphins, and even killer whales, Jones writes, "I became a pioneer in a parallel universe inhabited by highly intelligent, friendly, curious aliens. I came to love them and felt an intense need to protect them."

Through his inspiring call to action, Jones hopes that readers will realize how much humans and dolphins depend on healthy oceans, and how seriously we are damaging them. Through his work and films, such as his PBS documentary "The Dolphin Defender," Jones hopes to inspire people to become involved in ending the capture and slaughter of dolphins worldwide and to demand the pollution of the oceans be stopped.

About the Author

Hardy Jones has been producing environmental films with special emphasis on marine mammals since 1978. He has made countless television films on wildlife, natural history, animal intelligence and the environment for National Geographic and PBS. He is executive director of BlueVoice.org, a non-profit dedicated to combining Internet capabilities with television and new media to raise awareness of the threats facing the world's oceans.