#Blackfish! What More Can You Do?

by
They should be free!

They should be free!

The documentary Blackfish is as big a phenomenon as The Cove movie ever was. Being aired on CNN, however, it has been broadcast to a much larger audience and it is taking the world by storm.  Both films are incredibly powerful in that they leave the viewer vowing to never visit a marine mammal attraction facility. With many of us, they also strike a chord deep inside causing us to wonder what more can we do to help these poor souls.

As with any cause, spreading awareness is the key to attaining a favorable outcome. This can be done in a number of ways.

Tell your family, friends and neighbors about Blackfish. While you may be able to adequately convey the premise of the film, nothing could be more effective than having them watch it themselves. Tell them just enough to peak their curiosity so that they will be intrigued and want to learn more.

Share Blackfish with most everyone you come in contact with. Wherever you go, you will find yourself in a position to speak to someone. Whether it be at school, work or in line at a checkout, this is the perfect opportunity to spread awareness. Even at a convenience store, you can get the clerk wanting to watch the documentary. See “How to Share ‘The Cove’ Movie in 30 seconds.“

You don’t always have to start the conversation. Wearing shirts, hats and jewelry that display orcas or dolphins will attract compliments from people. Even tattoos are a way to show your support for these incredible beings that are on death row. If you want, you can go all out and buy the official Blackfish shirt which looks really cool! Get yours here.

Invite people over for dinner and a movie. You could treat your friends to a meal and educate them at the same time. You may even want to have a raffle for a Blackfish poster. But whatever you do, don’t serve fish! I don’t think that would go over too well.

Get Blackfish on DVD or Blu-ray. I suggest you keep a copy on hand but you may also want to donate copies to anyone who would be likely to share the news of the movie to others or have a screening. Give a copy to your local school or library. Your hairdresser is a good candidate and so is a taxi driver. Whoever comes in contact with a lot of people and does a lot of talking needs to see Blackfish!

Have a stare-down. Imagine pulling up to a busy intersection and seeing people on every corner wearing the Blackfish t-shirt. They aren’t chanting or waving signs. They are just looking at you and making eye-contact. You wouldn’t be able to get it out of your head. All day you would be thinking of nothing but, “Blackfish. Blackfish!”

Blackfish T-shirt

During the winter months, you may want to have your stare-down indoors. A shopping mall is the perfect place. You and your friends could be standing at strategic intervals throughout the mall or you may just decide to walk laps. People will see your Blackfish shirts again and again as they do their shopping. You can even get a poster and lay it on the floor. You and your friends could stand in a circle looking down at the poster while wearing your shirts. Be ready for people to ask questions. This will be your opportunity to shine. Also, try to get photos and video of your events to share online. I, for one, would love to see them.

Ride and read. You and your friends could ride the bus or the train wearing your Blackfish shirts while each reading a copy of Death At SeaWorld. Your destination could be a place like Starbucks or a park. There’s a lot you can do to spread awareness for this cause. Use your imagination! Once again, be sure to document it for the world-wide web.

Use the #Blackfish tag. Whether you are on Facebook, Tumblr, Google+ or Twitter you can use the tag when sharing pictures, videos or information about dolphins and/or orcas. After you use the tag, click on it to see who else is using it. If you are on Twitter, for example, you will want to ReTweet other people’s comments. By doing this, you are helping to trend the tag and you will be joining the ranks of other cyber whale warriors worldwide. Click here now to see who’s using the tag on Twitter. For more on this subject, read #Blackfish and the #CyberWhaleWarrior Cry and Why Tweet? Why ReTweet?

Hook up with other Blackfish supporters. One of the best places to do this is on Facebook. Organizations and people like yourself are fighting to see dolphins and orcas free from captivity. I recommend you start connecting via Save Japan Dolphins and Fins and Fluke. Save Japan Dolphins is the official page for the organisation that was the focus of the academy award-winning documentary The Cove. With more than eighty-thousand supporters, you are bound to make some friends at Save Japan Dolphins. Fins and Fluke, on the other hand, has a dedicated crew that will be happy to address your needs and answer your questions. They are also a hub of information for events and rallies, both online and in your neck of the woods.

Organize a protest near you. You don’t have to be near a marine mammal them park to have a rally. There are businesses that support SeaWorld and other dolphin prisons that you can target. For example, Georgia Aquarium proudly displays a list of its supporters. Click here to see who likes dolphins in captivity. Just do a little research to find out who supports SeaWorld, Marineland or any other dolphin hell hole.

Start your own blog, website or vlog. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy and you don’t have to be a skilled writer. We simply need as many anti-captivity websites as possible so that people can’t go online without hearing of Blackfish or The Cove. Be sure to link back to organizations like Save Japan Dolphins, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the Animal Welfare Institute.

Join Sea Shepherd. If you are serious about doing something epic, here is your chance! There are Sea Shepherd chapters throughout the globe. You can start off as an onshore volunteer and eventually you may be able to actually serve in a local campaign or on one of their ships at sea. To learn more about SSCS, visit their site at SeaShepherd.org.

Watch The Cove PSA below!

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Category : Activism, Blackfish, Captivity, Dolphins, Marine Parks, Orcas, SeaWorld, The Cove, Travel
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