PennacchiaFilmAnnotation4

Andrew Pennacchia Film Annotation #4


 * 1. Title:** The End of the Line
 * Director:** Robert Murray
 * Release year:** 2009


 * 2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?**

“The End of the Line” is the first full featured documentary to take on the overfishing crisis that is increasingly becoming one of the worst environmental sustainability problems facing our planet. The main argument of the film is to bring attention to this sustainability issue by showing the viewer how the rise in industrial fishing has severely damaged the world's oceans, and may lead to the seas being fished-out by 2048 if the current trends remain the same.


 * 3. How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?**

The argument of the film is sustained by providing interviewing experts in the field that discuss the main factors that are causing the overfishing crisis, including lax enforcement of governmental regulations on fishing procedures, the world-wide increased demand for endangered species, and the ignorant and irresponsible methods that are carried out by many of the major fishing lines in the industry. The film goes into more detail about the imminent extinction of the bluefin tuna which is a direct result of the increase in demand for sushi in western culture, the impact of the overpopulation of jellyfish on marine life, and also how the the demand for cod off of the coast of Newfoundland over the last two decades have decimated the world's most abundant population of cod. The film also highlights how the development of technology available to commercial fisherman has become much more efficient, which has played a major role in leaving many fish populations near extinction. The film includes many interviews with top scientists who provide interesting scientific facts about about the overfishing crisis around the world, including the fact that approximately 75% of wild marine fish are fully-exploited or over fished, meaning that most fish species are headed towards extinction. The film also provides emotional appeal by interviewing fisherman and law enforcement officials that deal with fish near extinction, and show how the technology used to catch the fish leave no room for escape. Also, the confrontations with restaurant owners who are openly selling extinct species on their menus help to give the viewer a real-life perspective on the issue.


 * 4. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?**


 * Political? Legal? Economic? Technological? Media and Informational?**


 * Organizational? Educational? Behavioral? Cultural? Ecological?**

The film draws out political, legal and economic problems in the methods used by the commercial fishing industry and the current regulations on overfishing that are not being enforced. However the film mainly discusses the major ecological problem facing the world's oceans if a change is not made in the way we fish.


 * 5. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?**

The part of the film that I found most persuasive was the issues surrounding fish farming. It was very interesting to find out that almost half of all of the fish consumed by humans today is provided by aquaculture, or fish farms. What was once looked at as a solution to the decline in fish populations is quickly becoming the opposite as the stocks of small fish that are used to feed the larger farmed fish are being over fished themselves.


 * 6. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?**

I was least compelled by the issue brought up in the film that explained how some restaurants are serving extinct fish species on their menu. Other than the lack of morals and the environmental casualties this issue is causing on the species of fish, I was surprised that these restaurants were even legally allowed to serve the extinct fish in the first place. The film should have gone into more detail about the legalities of this issue.


 * 7. What audiences does the film best address? Why?**

This film best addresses all audiences who eat seafood, because overfishing is a result of the increased demand for fish in cultures around the world. However, the issue is also relevant to the entire world population because if the the fish populations continue to decrease, it will devastate the environment, as well as cause widespread hunger around the world.


 * 8. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?**

In order to enhance the environmental educational value, this film could have included more information about the action that is needed to recover the species that are being over fished. There was sufficient data regarding the amounts of fish that are in decline, but no estimation of what it would take to restore the populations of fish back to a reasonable degree.


 * 9. What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.**

The films provides many points of intervention to help the viewers to understand how to help the problem of overfishing. The main actions suggested are to buy sustainable seafood, reduce the individual consumption of seafood, as well as advocate for stricter governmental regulations on the commercial fishing industries.


 * 10. What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)**

After viewing this film, I was compelled to seek out more specific information regarding the methods and practices carried out by commercial fisherman. I myself am an avid fisherman on Long Island, and I often come into contact with the local commercial fisherman during the summer. Two websites I found listed below describe interesting facts about the future of the tuna industry and the laws and regulations that are set to try to protect the fish populations.

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http://www.takemefishing.org/fishing/fishopedia/fishing-and-conservation/the-importance-of-fishing-laws?gclid=CJC886-poKwCFY3KKgodDwpW4A