Keep Narwhals Real! PSA Featuring NarwhElvis

Please help KEEP NARWHALS REAL! This summer, oil and gas exploration of Baffin Bay, home to 90% of earth’s narwhals, face seismic cannon mapping which can lead to deafness and death in cetaceans. Help raise awareness about the dangers Narwhals face, to document the Inuits fight against big oil, and to #KeepNarwhalsReal!

Help Keep Narwhals Real!

This summer, with the green light from the Canadian government, oceanic oil and gas exploration is set to begin in Baffin Bay, Canada using seismic cannon testing. The method that the mapping agencies will use is extremely destructive to sea life, and especially to cetaceans – dolphins, whales and narwhals. It just so happens that 90% of the earth’s narwhals call Baffin Bay home. This testing could led to the near extinction of an entire species.The Inuit Mayor of Clyde River, Jerry Natanine, is leading the crusade to protect narwhals against seismic blasting in Baffin Bay this summer. His coalition has been granted a hearing in Toronto on April 15th to appeal the Canadian government’s decision to allow this method of testing. I’ve assembled an all-star team to join me in a journey to Toronto to cover Natanine’s battle and the plight of the narwhals.

Will this be the last narwhal?

The method for mapping the seafloor uses seismic cannons, which are 100,000 times louder than a jet engine (250dB), to penetrate the seafloor and map pockets of underground oil. It’s been proven to deafen and kill whales off of the California Coast and even their environmental impact estimates include large numbers of dolphin and whale fatalities as part of the costs of searching for oil. These cannons send deafening sound waves throughout the ocean every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, for months. It drowns out whalesong, leaves pods unable to communicate, they become disoriented, and many end up dying as a result. The non-profit ocean conservation group Oceana has an informative video about the practice and successfully thwarted seismic mapping off the Atlantic coast of the U.S.

How Seismic Cannons Work.

Jerry Natanine, the Inuit Mayor of Clyde River, and his coalition have been granted a hearing in Toronto on April 15th to appeal the Canadian government’s decision to allow mapping this summer. A number of groups, including Greenpeace and Save Our Arctic, are coming together to support the cause and garner more widespread attention.

Cinematographer Peter Mychalcewycz at work in Java, Indonesia.

Our small documentary team included Academy Award nominated producer Vanessa Bergonzoli and cinematographer Peter Mychalcewycz, along with the support of Raul Gasteazoro and Casey Unterman of Black Powder Works.

Mayor Jerry Natanine To Challenge Seismic Blasting In Court.

Our plan is to head to Toronto to cover Mayor Natanine’s appeal, interview the players on both sides, interview a marine biologist that specializes in cetaceans and narwhals, and explore the science behind seismic mapping technologies and their effects on sea life. The second part will be to travel to the hamlet of Clyde River, Baffin Bay and record the Inuit’s relationship to narwhals over the centuries, the migrations of the narwhals themselves, and the waters in jeopardy of being seismically “mapped.”

Head on Over to the Keep Narwhals Real Project Page on Kickstarter to Lend Your Support!

Please take a few more minutes to check out the Kickstarter Campaign Here and give what you can (sooner rather than later, it only lasts less than two weeks!)

Thanks for helping to Keep Narwhals Real!

#keepnarwhalsreal

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