Bree'sFilmAnnotation2

Bree Mobley, Annotation #2 “The End of the Line” 14 October 2011 1185 words

“The End of the Line”, directed by Robert Murray, released in 2009

“The End of the Line” is a documentary film about the effects that overfishing has had on the world’s fish populations. An activity that is happening worldwide, overfishing has devastating effects to the ecosystems underwater and the thus the way our world interacts with the ocean. The argument in “The End of Line” is presented through the eyes of an investigative reporter, Charles Clover. Traveling the world, Clover interviews politicians and celebrity restaurateurs and seeks the knowledge of top scientists, indigenous fisherman, and fisheries enforcement officials to paint a picture of the current state of our world fisheries. Opening the film with the example of the incredible effects that overfishing had on the population of cod fish off the coast of Newfoundland in the 1990s, Clover highlights that the population has reduced to a point of no return. This is due partly because hi-tech fishing vessels have become so efficient at catching that they leave little fish left to maintain the population. Fishing tactics such as trolling, which entails dragging a large plow across the ocean floor catching anything it can scoop up, are hugely effecting the fishing populations and the ecosystems where the remaining fish live. And partly due to the increasing demand of fish as food worldwide; the increased demand for blue fin tuna in sushi restaurants have put the species at a risk of extinction. Clover argues that the blame for ruining our global fisheries can be put on consumers who innocently buy endangered fish, politicians and government organizations who ignore the advice of scientists, fisherman who break quotas and fish illegally, and the global fishing industry that is slow to react to the inevitable future. Global fishing is supposed to be controlled by internationally determined quotas, determined by scientists, so that not one area of fish becomes too impacted. To highlight the politicians who ignore scientific knowledge, Clover points out the recommended catch for blue fin tuna off the coast of Japan is 15,000 fish. However, more than 6million are actually caught; fisherman are completely ignoring quotas advised by scientists and loosely, clearly, enforced by governments. Also, to highlight another political overfishing issue, Clover visits the country of Senegal, off the coast of Africa. Millions of local citizens in Senegal base their well-being on how successful their fishing is. However, the government of Senegal allow foreign and large business fisherman free range on their waters. This takes away the catch from the locals who do not have the same advanced equipment or catching capacity as the larger fishing boats. With large, predator fish being removed from our waters, a change in ecosystems is occurring. For example, in the Chesapeake Bay leading into the Atlantic Ocean, an excess amount of rays have been observed. This film illustrates Political, Legal, Cultural, Ecological, and Economic sustainability problems as touched upon above. The part of the film I found most compelling was the incredible, irreversible effects fishing has had just in the past 30 years. I had never realized that an increase in eating fish had effecting the world’s fish population. Like many others, I’ve lived in ignorance thinking that our oceans are indeed endless and plentiful. I suppose that it just goes to show that human effects stretch far beyond what we can see on land and in our local communities. Also, I had not realized that the exotic fish I was ordering at sushi restaurants down the street had to be fished, killed, frozen, and then shipped across the world to find itself on my plate. I think that, like Clover stated, the ignorant consumer should be held responsible for the decline in global fisheries. I was also very interested in the section about fish farms not coming close to fixing the problem we’ve now found ourselves in. One subject the film touched upon that I wish they had explored more because I doubted its credibility was the overfishing of blue fin tuna by Mitsubishi in Japan. The film talked about how this company is sending out excess ships, more than what they’re reporting to the government, to fish specifically blue fin tuna. And with this blue fin tuna, they are freezing and storing large amounts of this meat in order to spike the prices and monopolize the business after the entire population of blue fin is demolished. I was skeptical when I heard this come about in the film; it seemed like more of a serious assumption than a factual event. I wish to have heard more on this subject, or to have it spoken of as a possibility for corruption rather than an actual fact. The audience that the film best addresses is any avid consumer of fish. Myself, as a lover of most seafood and the first person to suggest sushi as a food genre choice, was greatly impacted by the ominous news of a decrease in global fisheries. Also this film addresses people who do devote their career to commercial fishing, as they have already felt the effects of overfishing. I think this film is best meant for an eye-opener for people consuming fish without the knowledge of where it’s coming from or how it gets there. What I would have wanted to see in this film is interviews from audiences after seeing the film. I would have liked to see the response of fish lovers to the news of decreasing fish populations. Perhaps highlighting how other consumers had responded might help steer fresh audiences in the right direction in terms of how receptive they are to the movie. Also, focusing on what the United States does in efforts to regulate global fishing would help to centralize the problem. The film suggests the individual consumer’s responsibility; it encourages the audience to question local sushi and seafood restaurants about the source of their fish. The film also encourages knowledge of endangered fish species. Upon visiting the movie’s website, spreading the knowledge of this problem is also an action that should be performed. The films aims to engage large public audiences in this political issue to the point that progressive change can be made to the policies and general idea of fish. After watching this film I proceeded to visit the film’s website to find further background information and what is happening two years after the film was made. After hearing the term ‘trolling’ and not really being sure of what it meant, I also sought out information on that. Trolling is often associated with trawling which is a similar large-scale fishing method and mainly used for commercial fishing. There are many environmental effects of trawling (the more damaging of the two methods). Bottom trawling causes extreme large scale destruction on the ocean floor causing coral shattering, damage to habitats, and removal of seaweed. "The End of the Line :: The Film." // The End of the Line :: Home Page //. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. . "Trawling." // Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia //. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. .