The End of the Line

A number of doom-laden docs have already highlighted the effect our lifestyles are having on the planet. Well, here’s another one to cheer us up. The film has a simple message: modern technology has caused us to over-fish drastically our oceans and, unless something is done, we’ll be eating jellyfish ’n’ chips by 2048. Director Rupert Murray (‘Unknown White Male’) takes us to Newfoundland, where cod have been fished out of existence; to China, a country which allegedly altered its catch-quota results to give a false impression of its dwindling fish stocks; and to the Strait of Gibraltar where sushi favourite, bluefin tuna, is in steep decline. The poignant facts and figures are offered by a host of likeable marine scientists, local fishermen and activists. The film is both a strangely entertaining antidote to TV’s excellent ‘Trawlermen’ series, and a sobering call to arms.