SEASPIRACY Documentary Launches
SEASPIRACY the latest Netflix blockbuster movie hit TV screens globally on March 23rd, 2021 and went directly to #1 in Hong Kong, Singapore, UK and the USA and into the top 5 spot in many other countries. The documentary summarizes the global threats to our oceans and follows the director Ali Tabrizi on a global whirlwind, documenting what is currently happening to our oceans. Starting in Japan with the infamous cove in Taiji where dolphins are driven into a small cove, where the ‘lucky’ ones are removed and sold into the captive amusement industry, a life of imprisonment and slavery. The rest are often then slaughtered, considered as pests due to their competition with local fishermen. Ali then discovers that dolphins are not the only species being killed in vast numbers.
His next stop is Hong Kong where he meets with our Operations Director, Gary Stokes who shows him and assistant producer Lucie Tabrizi around the shark fin streets of Sheung Wan as well as to the trash covered beaches of Hong Kong and the plastic pollution problem. During the filming a large shipment of shark fins were found arriving hidden in a Maersk shipping container. Maersk were the first shipping company to place an embargo on the shipping of shark fins which was widely applauded being that they are the worlds largest shipping company. Upon contacting Maersk, who were furious that shark fins had been smuggled onboard by using mis-labeling, the giant shipper worked to increase their key word searches used when placing an order to ship. Hopefully this will again help reduce the flow of shark fins into Hong Kong.
The movie continues around the world where Ali learns about the bogus labeling of “Dolphin Safe” tuna as well as the “Sustainable Seafood” labeling from the Marine Stewardship Council MSC. The movie makers then join Sea Shepherd during their at sea patrols off the west coast of Africa and see first hand IUU fishing on an industrial scale. One of the alarming discoveries is the fact that Ghost Nets, abandoned fishing gear constitute a major percentage of the plastic debris found in our oceans. This can be reduced by reducing the demand for fish. The reality is that the whole world can’t go fish free as many coastal communities need fish as their major source of protein, however the artisinal fishing communities are not the problem. Large scale commercial industrial fishing is the root cause and much of this is to meet the demands of the developed world. In many of the developed nations we have a choice, unlike the poorer developing nations, many of whom are victims to highly subsidised fishing fleets.
The movie was produced by Kip Anderson who also made the movies ‘Cowspiracy’ and ‘What the Health’ and this movie leads to the same conclusion. Shifting as much as possible to a plant based diet would help to greatly reduce the pressure on our oceans.
WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY ON NETFLIX