September 15, 2009
Green Porno 3: Bon Appetit
BY: Emily Fisher
Isabella Rossellini is back with another stimulating series of short films about the sex life of sea creatures. Only this time, there’s a distinct conservation bent to the stories, with commentary by conservation scientist Claudio Campagna. Green Porno 3: Bon Appetit follows up on Green Porno 2 by uncovering the reproductive rompings of the seafood species we know and love. She starts by explaining the sex lives of squid, which are, of course, tasty but threatened by ever increasing fishing pressure.Next Rossellini suits up as an anchovy, explaining their spawning “orgies” and how overfishing means fewer anchovies remain for dolphins, penguins and other marine life. (Sound familiar?)Since shrimp go from male to female as they mature, Rossellini follows suit in her, um, provocative costume choices. The enormous amount of bycatch resulting from shrimp fisheries should come as no surprise to you. Finally, Rossellini and Campagna travel to South America to witness the mating habits of elephant seals. They watch a female give birth and nearly get accosted by a lumbering male on his way to sea. Finally, they consider the threat of ghost nets.Rossellini’s refrain throughout is, “I’ve lost my appetite. What to do?” Check out GP3 and see if you can keep yours.(Also, special thanks to Oceana’s chief scientist Mike Hirshfield, who, like last time, consulted on the science for the series.)