Victoria Chen

I admire the crew’s dedication in the face of danger. The aspects of the film that were most refreshing to me included the first-hand interviews of formerly enslaved fishermen, the challenges with government enforcement and observation of fishing practices in the wild, as well as the impact of commercial fishing on local fishing communities. Some of the footage has had plenty of coverage already in prior documentaries - particularly the Taiji dolphins and pilot whale practices in Faroe Islands. In the latter case, there are old traditions and national identity questions associated with that hunt, which were not mentioned in this coverage. It didn’t feel like anything new was added to the dialogue during these segments. I would’ve loved to see a bit more focus on the seafood industry and explorations of more sustainable practices, such as buying from local fisherfolk, foraging for seafood yourself, and eating creatures further down the food chain, or lobbying policymakers to enforce more protections against overfishing. As some others have stated, some of the interviews were a bit painful to watch, as it felt like the director went in with a specific narrative or outcome in mind. For example, micro plastics are also a valid issue, so if you go to a group focusing on micro plastics and ask them their opinion on fishing equipment, and they don’t have a strong stance on hand, it seems like a leap to immediately label them as money-grabbing and unconcerned with the real issues. It felt like a bunch of organizations were quickly lumped together as ineffective or feel-good businesses, which seems quick to burn down potential allies. If the director had voiced his requests for interviews more neutrally, maybe he would’ve gotten more access. The statistics with shiny graphics were visually impactful, but there were way too many, and some seemed to overlap, diminishing the overall effect. Overall, the narrative could have been tighter and more nuanced. Still worth a watch and high production value though. Appreciated the descriptions of how apex predators keep the ocean healthy.