Educational Media Reviews Online

The title of this work comes from an analogy with the canaries carried into coalmines by miners. The birds served as early warning systems, that is, a canary's death indicated the presence of poisonous gas in the mine thereby providing sufficient warning for the miners to escape. It is now understood that corals serve a similar purpose by dint of the fact that they are highly sensitive to changes in their ecosystem. When coral dies, we know there is trouble in the ocean and, as this well-crafted video makes clear, it is not just trouble for the coral.

Miranda Smith Productions has created an engaging, edifying, and sobering story of the coral reefs along the Florida Keys. But it is much more than that. It is an excellent lesson in the basic principles of ecology and that lesson is delivered in such a way that viewers cannot help but realize their place and their impact on the planet. I hasten to add that anthropomorphizing and other undesirable methods of emotionally engaging the viewer are not employed here as they sometimes are in "nature programs." However, for those who pay attention, and especially for those who value vacations spent diving and snorkeling among coral reefs, some degree of consciousness raising is in store.

Excellent undersea film footage is skillfully employed to teach the biology of coral and the ecology of the coral reef. The diversity, beauty and fragility of the ecosystem, and the dependence of the ecosystem's health on the health of bordering ecosystems are demonstrated clearly. The extent and type of damage done to the reefs, the sources of the problems encountered in the waters surrounding the Keys, and the degree to which the residents' lives are intertwined with the reef are deftly revealed through interviews with marine ecologists, commercial fishermen, and long-time residents One of the strengths of this work is the way in which the story unfolds. Undersea footage is expertly interspersed with the interviews, archival film footage, still photographs, satellite photos, and a narration by Andie MacDowell to show how the various threats to the reefs were identified. An important, positive note is the inclusion of accounts of significant, influential efforts made by individuals and by citizen groups to arrest the destruction of the reefs and to restore them to health.

This video is highly recommended for libraries supporting secondary school and undergraduate courses where the principles of ecology are introduced. It is also an excellent choice for general audiences.