Sushi night?
You might just stick with avocado rolls forever:
“Seaspiracy” is the best documentary on the dangers and cost of commercial fishing I’ve seen.
Trailer for “Seaspiracy”
Watch “Seaspiracy”
You can watch “Seaspiracy” on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/81014008. It’s a Netflix Original so it should stay there.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 94/100
- IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 87/100 (Users); 75/100 (Critics)
Release Date: March 24, 2021
My Review of “Seaspiracy”
We all know humans harm the ocean, but “Seaspiracy” shows just how bad the damage is—and it’s worse than you think.
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- One day of commercial fishing harms the ocean more than the months-long Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
- 40% of all marine life caught isn’t wanted. It’s “by-catch,” thrown back into the water, dead or dying.
- In Iceland, one fishery killed 269 harbor porpoises, 900 seals, and 5,000 seabirds in a single month.
- The “Dolphin Safe” label on tuna cans is misleading. The Earth Island Institute charges companies for that label and relies mostly on ship captains’ words.
Fishing Destroys More Than Fish
Directed by Ali Tabrizi (this is his first doc), “Seaspiracy” dives into the damage caused by global fishing.
The doc is part exposé, part investigative thriller, with Tabrizi questioning experts, sneaking into restricted areas, and exposing the shocking truth about industrial fishing.
Fishing nets (made of plastic) are a huge part of the problem (“stop recording”)
Every day, long-line fishing vessels lay out enough lines to wrap around the planet 500 times. Nets lost or discarded by these ships make up most of the plastic pollution in the ocean.
One of the film’s most shocking moments comes during an interview with leaders of the Plastic Pollution Coalition.
When asked why they don’t focus on fishing nets, they abruptly ask the filmmakers to stop recording.
Later, we learn they’re linked to Earth Island Institute—the group behind the “Dolphin Safe” tuna label.
Lesser-Known Insights
- Farting Fish: Herring use farts to communicate. It’s strange but underscores their intelligence.
- Dolphins and Whales Killed — Sea Shepherd estimates 300,000 of them are killed as by-catch every year.
- Carbon — 93% of the Earth’s carbon is stored in oceans, but destroying marine life disrupts this carbon sink.
- Industrial Waste: Seafood isn’t just unhealthy—it’s dangerous. Pollutants accumulate in fish and end up in the food chain.
- Mass Deaths: Those 300,000 dolphin and whale deaths yearly are just by-catch—animals no one meant to catch.
Wrap Up
“Seaspiracy” is the best investigative documentary I’ve seen on the hidden costs of fishing.
It was the first film to make me seriously think twice about eating seafood again.
But I still do eat fish.
Still, it’s a great doc.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc