Hardy Jones Tribute: www.bluevoice.org
In 1977, I saw documentary footage of former network news anchor, Hardy Jones, stepping among dead and dying dolphins that had just been killed on Iki Island in Japan. It was stunning imagery, and deeply affected me and many others in this country that had no idea this was going on. I figured out the story line was that fishermen had decided dolphins were taking too many of their stocks of fish, and this is how they were dealing with it. The energy of Hardy was so calm and yet caring. He was scrambling to figure out how to reason with these people about their choice to kill dolphins. I somehow knew that being calm in the midst of this slaughter and mayhem given what was surely Hardy’s emotional horror, and holding all that inside was an amazingly heroic feat.
The next year, I went on my first excursion with Hardy to the blue green waters of the Bahamas and for the first time, went out to sea to meet the spotted dolphins in the open ocean. This was the first of many trips to be with these dolphins while in Hardy’s company, and the beginning of my getting to know Hardy and witness his devotion (now 30 plus years strong) to caring for the ocean and most especially, her cetacean inhabitants. He and Ted Dansen founded BlueVoice.org many years ago and continue to devote time and heart and resources to helping dolphins and whales worldwide. Hardy returns to Japan regularly to attempt to help turn the tide of the remaining dolphin hunts. He has done many documentaries, among which is the recently award winning “The Dolphin Defender.” You have probably seen many of his videographies on P.B.S., on The National Geographic Channel and on Animal Planet. Hardy is clearly an earth steward of the first order and I am honored to call him friend.
The next year, I went on my first excursion with Hardy to the blue green waters of the Bahamas and for the first time, went out to sea to meet the spotted dolphins in the open ocean. This was the first of many trips to be with these dolphins while in Hardy’s company, and the beginning of my getting to know Hardy and witness his devotion (now 30 plus years strong) to caring for the ocean and most especially, her cetacean inhabitants. He and Ted Dansen founded BlueVoice.org many years ago and continue to devote time and heart and resources to helping dolphins and whales worldwide. Hardy returns to Japan regularly to attempt to help turn the tide of the remaining dolphin hunts. He has done many documentaries, among which is the recently award winning “The Dolphin Defender.” You have probably seen many of his videographies on P.B.S., on The National Geographic Channel and on Animal Planet. Hardy is clearly an earth steward of the first order and I am honored to call him friend.