19 November 2009
Directed by Rupert Murray
"Plenty more fish in the sea", goes the phrase. But according to this latest environmental "shockumentary", perhaps not for much longer.
The film is based on a book by environmental journalist Charles Clover and tackles what it sees as the rampant overfishing of the world's oceans - or, to quote one of the academics interviewed, "the war on fish".
The documentary highlights overfishing and the sheer scale of the industry. It also deals with waste: one-tenth of all fish caught are thrown back overboard, dead.
There are surprising insights. Overfishing in some areas has caused explosion in other species such as lobster, shrimp and ray populations - which in turn are being overfished. Big business, politicians, Jamie Oliver and even the ancient Romans are all blamed for the problems.
This type of crusading documentary needs to strike a balance between getting the message across and being preachy. It initially misfires with overly dramatic music and a po-faced narration by Ted Danson. But it settles down to be informative, if a little dry.
It would have been good to see more on aspects too briefly hinted at, such as the impact proposed changes to fishing behaviour would have on the 1.2 billion people who rely on fish as a daily food source. But the film has already forced restaurant chains to change their sourcing policies and will undoubtedly encourage viewers to think carefully before tucking into their fish suppers.
Paul Snell
