The End of the Line

The film by Rupert Murray after the book of the same title by Charles Clover has a clear message. If we don’t change the current situation there will be no fish in 48 years time.

The oceans are in a mess and, as the film says, this has happened on our watch.

The end of the line focuses largely on the decimation of blue fin tuna, illegally fished in huge quantities in the Mediterranean and shipped to Japan where a single fish can fetch upward of 100,000 dollars. Mitsubishi is one of the main buyers. They have 60,000 tons of frozen tuna ready for market after the species becomes extinct.

Cod hasn’t recovered in the 18 years since the moratorium of 1992. And there’s no reason to suppose tuna will be able to regenerate either. Apparently once a predator loses its place in the food chain it is soon filled by another species. Cod’s once indisputable position in the hierarchy has gone.

Many other grim facts are revealed in the 82 minutes, however, there is a positive side. Alaska, New Zealand and Iceland have all developed sustainable fisheries. The film makes the point that if this issue can find its place in our consciousness, rather like climate change has, we will be able to minimise the damage.