Film Review: Seaspiracy

A young filmmaker, Ali Tabrizi, sets out to record all the evidence of abuse and harm being perpetrated throughout the fishing industry he can find across the world. Each place he visits with his wife Lucy Tabrizi, the film's co-director, he uncovers more and more shocking evidence of ocean life eradication.

Taiji, a small fishing town in the south of Japan, is the first place that leaves the audience disturbed. Ali films a gruesome scene of dolphins being slaughtered as their pod is driven close to shore. With the sea red from their blood, only a few survive to be transported to water parks for entertainment. As there is high demand for bluefin tuna, the fishermen reduce the dolphin population to decrease the consumption of smaller fish, such as herring or mackerel, leaving an abundant amount of bluefin tuna.

There, dolphins are being slaughtered to reduce the consumption of smaller fish, such as herring or mackerel, to gain an advantage for bluefin tuna. Ali films a horrific scene where a pod of dolphins has been driven close to shore, and only a few have been saved. The sea was red from their blood. Later in the documentary, Ali films a similar scene on the Faroe Islands, where pilot whales were slaughtered for their meat.

Overfishing is the main problem that is addressed in the documentary. Although Ali finds solid evidence to support his cause, there are too many factors for the audience to consider when trying to understand what to do about it. The most compelling proof Ali finds is in a direct interview with the Plastic Pollution Coalition, where Jackie Nuñez states that the way to solve the problem is to "eliminate, or really, really reduce your intake of … of fish." At this point, the film takes a hard turn to an investigation, as Ali declares it's time to “follow the money.”

There are many things I like about this documentary, one of them being that Ali always keeps you hooked with unexpected twists and turns, new statistics, and new people he interviews. However, there is a lot of information to process, so you may have to pause the video a few times to digest everything he lays out. For example, he reveals that several well-known associations such as the Marine Stewardship Council and the Earth Island Institute, are duplicitous in their marketing which could surprise the audience since many of these organisations claim that they prioritise sustainability.

Ali leaves us with a single statement which is to "stop eating fish." The documentary, in my opinion, has successfully changed my mind on what to eat and which organizations to trust. I would recommend anyone who has the time to sit and watch this documentary and reflect on its impact on us.