Tag Archives: Films about Rivers and Oceans

Environmental concerns about the Gorge Harbour log dump

When a large volume of logs were dumped in Gorge Harbour, during the 1970s and 80s, they caused extensive damage to the underwater environment.

One of the questions raised at Mosaic’s Cortes Island ZOOM meeting, last January, revolved around the possibility that reactivating the log dump could also have negative impacts. Mike Moore dove beneath the log dump about fifteen years ago. At that time, he observed a thick layer of wood debris and sediments, covered by ‘bacterial mats.’ Moore was concerned about the possibility a new disturbance of the sediments could pollute nearby shellfish operations. 

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Documentary dives into endangered orcas’ race for survival

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The riveting heartbreak of an endangered orca that carried her dead calf for 17 days and more than 1,500 kilometres in B.C. waters in July 2018 captured the world’s attention.

The extended mourning of the mother orca, J35, also known as Tahlequah, illustrated endangered southern resident killer whales are at a dangerous tipping point, and further catalyzed two young filmmakers to explore what is necessary to save the iconic orcas, which frequent the Salish Sea along the U.S. and Canadian coast.

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Get Reel: A young Campbell River filmmaker’s film about fly-fishing

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As he attempts to sleep at night, high school student Benji Bridle cannot help but review the images trapped in his head from a day spent on the river fly-fishing.

How the sun or rain hits the water, the silver slap of a struggling salmon, or the beauty of the sport itself, all play out in Bridle’s mind.

Recently, the aspiring cinematographer drew on his bank of nighttime imaginings as fodder for an award-winning film.

Bridle, 16, won for best screenplay at the 2020 Vancouver Island Youth Film Festival (VIYFF) in late February for his beautifully shot short film, Get Reel, which examines his pathway to — and newfound passion for — conservation through the sport of fly-fishing.

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What is Killing BC’s Wild Salmon?

Anyone simply looking for evidence that salmon farms could be infecting wild salmon will find enough five minutes into Twyla Roscovich’s documentary “Salmon Confidential Documentary.” The evidence is laid so convincingly that one is tempted to turn the video off. That would be a mistake. Salmon Confidential Documentary follows biologist Alexandra Morton, as she seeks the cause of the massive salmon die-offs before they can spawn. As she gets closer to the answer, the question becomes why is the Department of Fisheries and Oceans not doing something about it?

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