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Aquatic Animals (28)

  • All About Kids
    All About Kids
    1964 8 min
    This vintage short doc from the sixties brings together three quaint vignettes about Canadian childhood. In Quebec Aquarium, school children see marine life at close range, while Children's Play Therapy focuses on the importance of games and handicrafts for young patients recovering at Winnipeg’s Children’s Hospital. Finally, Soccer School takes us to British Columbia, where British coach Trevor Churchill is helping to spark interest in the increasingly popular sport.
  • Along Newfoundland's Shores
    Along Newfoundland's Shores
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    1962 7 min
    This short documentary includes three vignettes about life off the coast of Newfoundland. In Island of Birds, we visit Green Island, a sea bird sanctuary where puffins frolic. In Caplin Harvest, little silvery fish called caplin spawn by washing ashore along the waves, making an easy catch for fishermen. In Outports on the Move, off-shore houses are pried loose from their foundation and floated to the Newfoundland mainland, where schools, hospitals, stores and services are available to the community.
  • Babine River Story
    Babine River Story
    1961 6 min
    This short documentary illustrates the work of the Department of Fisheries in combatting the problems caused by a rockslide in British Columbia’s Babine River during the annual salmon run.
  • Beyond the Naked Eye
    Beyond the Naked Eye
    Claudia Overing 1973 18 min
    A film of marvels, an amazing view of the living, pulsing universe contained in a single drop of water from an aquarium. Colour film and a microscope, and the infinite patience of the filmmakers, reveal life that no one would ordinarily see. This is a view of creation, of birth, life and death, of the laws of nature that apply even to the smallest of living things. It is a film that will add knowledge and insight to the pleasure of any audience.
  • Cries from the Deep
    Cries from the Deep
    Jacques Gagné 1981 1 h 36 min
    This documentary records the journey undertaken by Jacques Cousteau, his 24-member team, and an NFB film crew to explore the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, one of the world's richest fishing areas. They discover shipwrecks, film icebergs and observe beluga whales, humpback whales and harp seals. The film also includes a fascinating sequence showing Calypso divers freeing a calf whale entrapped in a fishing net.
  • The Embryonic Development of Fish
    The Embryonic Development of Fish
    J.V. Durden 1961 27 min
    A science doc on marine life. Using a microscope and time-lapse speeds, it illustrates the development of a zebra fish from fertilization to hatching. When released in 1961, it was one of the most complete accounts of fish embryology ever recorded.
  • Eye Witness No. 30
    Eye Witness No. 30
    1951 10 min
    These vignettes from 1951 covered various aspects of life in Canada and were shown in theatres across the country. Subjects included here are British Columbia's Cariboo Trail, once the scene of a great gold rush and which still pays off for the placer miner and occasional prospector; Canada's new state residence at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, a redesigned old stone mansion destined to become Canada's No. 10 Downing Street; a unique ceremony in remote Chesterfield Inlet as the first Inuit girl in history receives the veil of the Grey Nuns; Great Lakes conservationists outsmart the eel-like bloodsucker that preys on fish; and the new blue model uniforms designed for the Women's Division of the Air Force.

    Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB for decades. This film is therefore a time-capsule of a bygone era, presented in its original version. The NFB apologizes for the offence caused.
  • A Great White Bird
    A Great White Bird
    Michael McKennirey 1976 51 min
    This film documents the efforts of a group of Canadians and Americans to save the whooping crane from extinction. They display great determination in their dealings with this independent, pre-Ice Age creature. The issues of wild animals imprinting on people and the preservation of wild animals in captivity are examined in this film. Produced in cooperation with the Canadian Wildlife Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
  • The Great Blue Heron
    The Great Blue Heron
    Jean-Louis Frund 1979 44 min
    This film documents the yearly cycle of the great blue heron, its migration from Central America and the West Indies to the St. Lawrence River in Québec, and the breeding and rearing of its young. Outstanding footage shot by the filmmaker perched high in a tree affords close-ups of the birds' intricate courtship rituals. A sensitive, beautifully photographed nature film with much to tell us of ecology and wildlife.
  • In Search of the Bowhead Whale
    In Search of the Bowhead Whale
    Bill Mason 1974 49 min
    This adventure film features Scott McVay, an authority on whales, and filmmaker Bill Mason. The objective was to film the bowhead, a magnificent inhabitant of the cold Arctic seas brought to the edge of extinction by overfishing. With helicopter and Inuit guide, aqualungs and underwater cameras, the expedition searches out and meets the bowhead and beluga.

    Please note that this is an archival film that makes use of the word “Eskimo,” an outdated and offensive term. While the origin of the word is a matter of some contention, it is no longer used in Canada. The term was formally rejected by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1980 and has subsequently not been in use at the NFB for decades. This film is therefore a time-capsule of a bygone era, presented in its original version. The NFB apologizes for the offence caused.
  • The Intertidal Zone
    The Intertidal Zone
    David Denning 1985 16 min
    This documentary explores the ecosystems of the intertidal zone in British Columbia. An "intertidal zone" is an area that is covered by the highest tides and exposed during the lowest. The filmmakers study the ecology of this unique environment, including its life cycles and food chains.
  • Loon Dreaming
    Loon Dreaming
    Iriz Pääbo 2002 7 min
    This animated short makes us see the world through the eyes of a loon. We dive down deep into the waters in pursuit of fish, launch skyward from the water and fly high over the busy highways and sprawling subdivisions that scar the natural world--before gently splashing down on a secluded lake.
  • The Land of Jacques Cartier
    The Land of Jacques Cartier
    René Bonnière  &  Pierre Perrault 1960 29 min
    Did Cartier dream of making a country from this land of a million birds? In his records of his exploration he certainly marvelled at seeing the great auks that have since disappeared from Isle aux Ouaiseaulx, the razor-bills and gannets that are gone from Blanc-Sablon, and the kittiwakes from Anticosti, all the winged creatures of all the islands which he described as being "as full of birds as a meadow is of grass". And that's not even counting the countless snow geese.
  • The Man Who Digs for Fish
    The Man Who Digs for Fish
    Jack Long 1979 13 min
    Frank Jenkinson, eighty-two, has been digging for fish for twenty-five years. His unorthodox conservationist practices have increased the numbers of the salmon population in the Jarvis Inlet from a modest 500 to 25 000. Using a spade and accompanied by his dog, Frank wades up and down the stream, digging for the newly hatched salmon that lie buried in the gravel. Without his intervention they risk dying before reaching maturity.
  • North Pacific
    North Pacific
    Rex Tasker 1967 26 min
    It is an ocean of plenty, a vast aquatic pasture teeming with many species of fish and other marine life. Most sought is the salmon, but sometimes they do not "run." This film shows extensive studies of the ocean to determine how temperatures, winds, currents, and plankton affect the sea harvest.
  • Octopus Hunt
    Octopus Hunt
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    Bernard Devlin 1965 16 min
    A voyage down to the green depths of the Pacific Ocean, into the mysterious domain of the deep-sea diver and the marine creatures that are his quarry. The film is about a zoological expedition to capture octopus and wolf eel specimens for the Vancouver aquarium. The underwater action is described by the divers themselves.
  • Percé on the Rocks
    Percé on the Rocks
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    Gilles Carle 1964 9 min
    This quirky little short by Gilles Carle was filmed on the pierced rock that stands near Quebec’s Gaspé peninsula. It is perhaps the most photographed natural phenomenon on Canada’s East Coast. Shot in the 1960s, the film has a very psychedelic feel to it, with animation, special effects, and a trio of women to guide us through.
  • Plea for the Wanderer
    Plea for the Wanderer
    Jean Coutu 1975 18 min
    This short documentary follows east and west coast salmon from river to sea and back again. Vivid close-ups capture exciting moments of the salmon hatching, jumping rapids and performing their intricate spawning ritual. The film also takes a look at threats posed by high-seas salmon fishing and the Canadian government's attempts to protect the salmon runs.
  • Red Runs the Fraser
    Red Runs the Fraser
    E. Taylor 1949 11 min
    This short documentary looks at the deep gorge of the Fraser River, shadowed by the mountain ranges of British Columbia. It is a highway for the mysterious migration of the Pacific salmon. The river shallows appear red with the flailing fish as they push up-river to spawn and die. A natural wonder puzzling to the scientist, the fish migration of spring and summer provides renewed activity for fishermen and cannery workers.
  • Strange Doings
    Strange Doings
    1964 9 min
    Shark Hunt: Canadian Fisheries Patrol in the Pacific brings in a huge basking shark. Stringing a Line: A power line is strung by helicopter over mountains in Banff National Park. Arctic Town: Inuvik, a new town built on stilts inside the Arctic Circle.
  • Triangle Island
    Triangle Island
    Tom Radford  &  Ray Harper 1979 13 min
    Forty miles northwest of Vancouver Island lies Triangle Island, an ecological reserve and home of close to one million birds. Bristol Foster, head of the British Columbia Ecological Reserves Program, guides us across the island through colonies of birds and sea lions. He stresses the need of preserving the ecological balance for the survival of future generations.
  • Whale Hunting (Qilaluganiatut)
    Whale Hunting (Qilaluganiatut)
    Mosha Michael 1977 9 min
    An interesting and informative journey with six Inuit hunting for beluga whale near Iqaluit (formerly known as Frobisher / Frobisher Bay). We learn about the methods used in pursuing the whale and dividing the carcass. An original score features music and songs in Inuktitut by the filmmaker Mosha Michaell himself.

    Viewer Advisory: This film contains scenes of animal slaughter.
  • Waterfowl - A Resource in Danger
    Waterfowl - A Resource in Danger
    Don Virgo 1964 16 min
    This nature documentary shows the immense flocks of birds, their habits and their dependence on the wetlands of the Prairies. The Prairies are the incubators of vast numbers of Canadian waterfowl, principally ducks, but as more land is drained and cultivated there are fewer breeding grounds. Produced by the NFB for the Canadian Wildlife Service.
  • "Water, Water, Everywhere ..."
    "Water, Water, Everywhere ..."
    Gilles Blais 1971 4 min
    An underwater close-up of the death of a trout in polluted water. A film for conservationists and for all audiences concerned about preserving the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it.
  • Wild in the City
    Wild in the City
    Gordon Fish 1985 16 min
    This short documentary films some of the wild animal species that have adapted to the city of Vancouver, from the familiar pigeons and starlings to the less familiar herons nesting in Stanley Park and a coyote in a farmer's field.
  • Where the Bay Becomes the Sea
    Where the Bay Becomes the Sea
    John Brett 1985 29 min
    This is a documentary about the fragile and complex marine ecosystem in the Bay of Fundy. The film traces relationships within the food chain - from tiny plankton to birds and seals and finally to whales and humans. The film is a plea for careful management of our ocean resource and was first telecast as part of CBC's Nature of Things series.
  • We Call Them Killers
    We Call Them Killers
    Tom Shandel 1972 15 min
    A rare opportunity to observe two killer whales, Haida and Chimo, kept at the time of filming at the Victoria Sealand of the Pacific Aquarium. Far from any show of ferocity, the huge mammals display a sense of fun and rapport with their trainers, especially during their performances for the public. Dr. Paul Spong, noted cetologist, describes his attempts at inter-species communication. Musician Paul Horn captivates Haida with the sounds of his flute.
  • The Winds of Fogo
    The Winds of Fogo
    Colin Low 1969 20 min
    Fogo is a windswept island off the coast of Newfoundland where the inhabitants for generations have lived by, on and from the sea. In this film William Wells, fisherman, and his two sons take a day off from the nets for a journey to the gannet colony on the Funk Islands, fifty miles farther out to sea. There are exceptional close-up views of enormous flocks of seabirds swarming on the cliffs and in the sky.