In 1978 filmmaker Hardy Jones was swept into the universe of dolphins. In his work as a filmmaker he came to know many of these magnificent animals as individuals. "I know when I'm with them that I'm relating to creatures as intelligent, social, and imbued with emotion as I am." Hardy's life became even more closely entwined with dolphins when he learned that he and the dolphins share a genetic trait that imperils both his life and the survival of dolphins worldwide. Starting with the film that came from his first life-changing encounter with spotted dolphins in the Bahamas, he's made over 70 documentaries for PBS, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and foreign broadcasters. "Filming became my entrée into the world of dolphins but not my ultimate purpose there. My true aim was to get inside the minds of these enormously intelligent and friendly animals." In coming years Hardy would apply what he had learned to killer whales in the Arctic fjords of Norway, and sperm whales off the Galapagos and the Caribbean Island of Dominica. "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." For more than three decades Hardy has fought to end the slaughter of dolphins by Japanese fishermen and was instrumental in converting a dolphin hunter to a dolphin watch tour leader. In the late 1980s Hardy became aware of a threat to dolphins even more insidious that the blades of dolphin hunters - rising levels of chemical toxins in the oceans that were impacting marine life and human beings. Over succeeding decades these contaminants have reached crisis level. In 2003 Hardy was diagnosed with an incurable form of blood cancer that is linked to chemical toxins. "I've struggled with the side effects of medications, but my first lab tests after beginning treatment brought stunning results. My burden of monoclonal cells had been reduced by ninety-eight percent." The diagnosis spurred Hardy to seek the sources of the pollutants in his own body and to document their impact on marine life and human beings. Hardy continues treatment and maintains an active life traveling the world to campaign for dolphins, the oceans and the welfare of humanity.
About the Author: Hardy Jones has been a pioneer in filming dolphins, killer whales and sperm whales underwater in the wild. He began the struggle to end the slaughter of dolphins in Japan in 1979. Jones graduated from New Canaan Country School, Choate School and Tulane University. He was awarded a CBS News Foundation Fellowship to Columbia University where he studied international law. At CBS News, Jones worked as a researcher, writer and in the election and space units. He went on to become news director and on-air anchor at the CBS affiliate in Anchorage, Alaska. Prior to working at CBS Jones served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru. In 2003 Hardy Jones was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer connected to chemical pollutants. He has fought to alert the public and governments to the danger of toxins in the marine food chain and their linkage to disease in dolphins and human beings. He was won numerous awards for his films, including Lifetime Achievement Award from International Wildlife Film Festival, A Genesis Award from the Humane Society of the United States, Wildlife Filmmaker of the Year from Wildscreen and an Explorer's Club Award as well as many others. Currently Jones is executive director of BlueVoice.org. He is on the Ocean Council of Oceana. He and his wife Deborah Cutting live on Anastasia Island just off Saint Augustine, Florida. They share their lives with a Chow named Chou Chou, and two cats - Buddy and Gracie. From a nearby beach they frequently see dolphins and, during the winter, right whales.