the end of the line

One of the gravest problems facing God's creation and creatures is the pervasive overfishing of the world's waters, an unfolding crisis which the film The End of the Line poignantly documents (Docurama/New Video '09).   Based on the book by the same title, The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World and What We Eat by journalist Charles Clover, featured prominently in the documentary, the adaptation is both aesthetically engaging and morally compelling.

The film opens with beautiful footage of sea life followed by a Jaws-like tracking of a shark, accompanied by the narration "... the most efficient predator our oceans have ever known."  But the scene ends not with an attack on a clueless human beach victim, but with the catch and slaughter of the shark itself, lured by a fisherman's scattering of blood in the water. 

The End of the Line isn't aimed at discouraging the eating of fish in and of itself, but the overfishing, both illegal and politically sanctioned, which is driving countless species into threatened status and even collapse.  This phenomenon has dire consequences not only for endangered sea life and the ecosystems they belong to, but for the fishers and their families communities who depend on them, including those in less developed regions who generally harvest more moderately.

Local catches are lower just about everywhere in the world, and globally they've been determined to be in decline since 1988, though this reality wasn't fully discovered until 2002.  Notes one researcher, "The might of the fishing armory has grown exponentially in the last 50 years.  The amount of fishing power that we have at our command today far outweighs our ability to control ourselves."  In fact, some even anticipate a full collapse of the fish stocks we currently draw on by the middle of this century.

Bluefin tuna are one of the more recognized threatened species internationally, and still most culinarily sought-after.  The imagery of these noble and handsome sea creatures being hooked and killed onboard industrial vessels leaves an impression, not all that different in kind than watching the farm animals we tend to relate to more immediately corralled and slaughtered.  Another example close to home are the cod fish of Newfoundland, Canada.  Once the legendary staple of the local fishing industry, they were unexpectedly driven into dramatic decline by the same accelerated enterprise.  The cod population still hasn't recovered since a 1992 moratorium on northern Canadian harvesting, and in 2003 they were placed on a local endangered species list.

Some see modern fish farming as the answer to overfishing, but among other concerns related to intensive aquaculture such as the clustered spread of viruses and questionable genetic engineering, these fish still need large amounts of other fish to consume themselves.  For instance, the film notes that five kilos of anchovies are typically needed to produce just one kilo of salmon.  Bottom trawling is another rampant activity of industrial fishing, producing vast amounts of unwanted and discarded "bycatch" (sea life which isn't the intended harvest of the trawl) and wreaking havoc on ecosystems.  According to the same researcher mentioned earlier:

Fishing has transformed entire ecosystems.  In fact, I would say one of the largest scale transformation[s] of the planetary environment has been the impact of bottom trawling, nets that are dragged across the sea bed, and as they are pulled they cut down the animals that lie on the surface, things like corals and sea fans and sponges.  The signs of destruction brought up on deck by the trawl would make an angel weep.

It's hard to imagine more irresponsible or demoralizing realities facing our world's, and more fundamentally our Creator's, sea life.  But the documentary doesn't end on a hopeless note.  It's encouraging to learn of the prospect of an international "network of marine protected areas" by the year 2012, with some countries promising to eventually safeguard 20% or more of their waters from fishing (currently, only 1% of the world's waters are protected).  But we need to let our government officials know just how urgently this and other legislative action is needed to protect endangered sea creatures and ecosystems.  And most all, as consumers we must be aware of where our seafood comes from and how it was caught.  At minimum, we must confirm that it was sustainably sourced, though cutting back or going without seafood may also be responsible, even sacrificial, choices.

We tend to concentrate on pets, farmed animals and recognizable wild animals in our advocacy for animals; perhaps even whales or dolphons, but not humble fish and other sea life.  But I don't think you'll be able to look at them the same way after watching this film, I know I won't.  

The End of the Line is currently available on dvd and by Netflix online streaming.  Much more information about the film and the accompanying campaign to encourage responsible fishing and sustainable consumption of seafood (including helpful species guides) is available at the documentary's website.

(photo copyright Rusty Elliott/123rf.com; cover image from The End of the Line dvd, New Video '10)

Comments

[Jenny Sue Hane]

I suspect this is an issue that could use a lot more awareness, and I thank you for posting about it. Shortly after I told my mom that I wanted to eat vegetarian, we were in the grocery store together, and she wistfully commented, "I hope you still eat tuna." I think that is illustrative of how little appreciation fish get; my mom seemed to be thinking that they are so far down the ladder of life that even a vegetarian wouldn't mind eating them.

[Ben DeVries]

Thanks for the feedback, Jenny, and I completely agree. We need a lot more attention paid to our fishing practices, as well as the sentience which fish demonstrate, and capacity for pain and suffering like other creatures - Ben