When director Louie Psihoyos and his investigative entourage snuck into the tiny seaside town of Taiji, Japan, they began to uncover the most revolting and perilous exploitations in history, in a town that appears to be devoted to the sea animals that swim off their coast.

The Cove is an inspiring documentary that unfurls like a thriller. Equipped with camouflage clothing, hidden cameras and deep sea divers, the crew is determined to slip past aggressive guards to capture images of the rampant dolphin slaughters, all while being chased by what might be Japanese cops, or the mafia.

The father of former Hamilton sailor and environmentalist Peter Bethune has not heard from him in 10 days, and believes the Japanese whalers holding him are refusing to allow him contact with the outside world.

Peter Bethune is expected to be arrested by the Japanese Coastguard when the ship on which he is being detained arrives in Japan later this week.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Federal agents are investigating a high-end Santa Monica, Calif., sushi restaurant, following a video sting orchestrated by the producers of the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove.”

U.S. attorney’s spokesman Thom Mrozek said Tuesday that Santa Monica’s The Hump restaurant is under investigation for serving slices of the endangered Sei whale.

Anti-whaling activists in Australia say their recent campaign in the Southern Ocean against Japanese whaling ships was the most successful ever. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society says it stopped the Japanese fleet from hunting for about a third of the season.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's boats have tailed Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean for the past six annual hunts.

They aim to stop what they consider the illegal slaughter of humpback and minke whales in the icy waters of Antarctica.