BLACKFISH: DOCUMENTARY OR PROPAGANDA

https://skeptoid.com/blog/2014/04/23/blackfish-documentary-or-propaganda/#comment-111471
 
I was very interested to read the above article on Blackfish, along with the responses of the many individuals who chose to make comment.
 
Stephen Propatier rightly describes Blackfish as “compelling and disturbing”. However, more importantly, is the Blackfish portrayal accurate, or simply a biased anti-captivity response to the pro-captivity propaganda prevalent for so many years?
 
In my opinion - and the opinion of the numerous European ex-dolphin trainers with whom I have worked - the Blackfish message is brutally true. Virtually all cetaceans, once stolen from the wild, suffer from deep psychological problems, to say nothing of a drastically shortened lifespan.
 
In this supposed age of enlightenment, dolphinaria should be a thing of the past, which means that places like SeaWorld need to drastically change their policy if they wish to survive.
 
So, the bottom line is: good movie or bad movie, Blackfish has galvanized the debate into the rights and wrongs of keeping captive cetaceans and, as co-author of the award-winning The Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy, for this alone I am truly thankful.
 
Tracy J Holroyd, Cert Ed, BA(Hons)
Member of the Society of Authors