However, Palmer is now arguing that the film took his comments out of context, recognising that whilst global fishing is out of control, they are much more aware of what is going on board ships than the film implies. Out there in the ocean, how do you know what they’re doing? We have observers on board but the observers can be bribed and are not out on a regular basis.’ Seaspiracy has received a backlash, unsurprisingly, from these organisations, who accuse the film of misrepresentation.ĭuring an interview with Mark Palmer (from Earth Island Institute in charge of the ‘dolphin safe’ certification) admits: ‘nobody can guarantee the product is dolphin safe. The film has sparked discussion surrounding the sustainable seafood movement and looks at the ‘dolphin safe’ and Marine Stewardship Council labels, which cannot guarantee the assurances consumers are looking for. Peter Hammarstedt, from Sea Shepherd, stated that ‘over 300,000 whales and dolphins are killed every single year as a bycatch of industrial fishing.’ I found this barrage of statistics shocking. Bycatch is the marine life that gets unintentionally caught when catching a target fish. It also claims that while 1,000 turtles are killed by plastic in the oceans, 250,000 sea turtles are injured or killed as bycatch. The issue of plastic straws has received much media attention, yet it only comprises 0.03 per cent of plastic entering the oceans. ![]() Long-line fishing sets down enough lines to wrap around the planet 500 times each day. This isn’t a shock to anyone who has already watched Blue Planet, but Seaspiracy argues that the biggest plastic deposits are by-products of commercial fishing, making up 46 percent of plastics in the ocean. The documentary opens with a story we know all too well: of whales and other sea animals being washed up on beaches, their stomachs filled with plastic. The film states if fishing at this level continues, the oceans will be empty by 2048. The film challenges the idea of ‘sustainable fishing,’ shines a spotlight on the troubling reality of the aquaculture industry and introduces the notion of ‘blood shrimp’: seafood tainted with slave labour and human rights abuses. The documentary follows filmmaker Ali Tabrizi on his journey to highlight the disturbing reality of commercial fishing and labours to expose the undesirable side of the industry. Since its release on 24 March, Seaspiracy has captured headlines across the world, divided opinions on Twitter and made fishing a talking point of any environmental discussion. By Jacques Picton, Second Year, Spanish and Portuguese
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