Empty Oceans, Empty Nets: The Race to Save Marine Fisheries

> View the trailer (8.4 mb QuickTime file).

“The next century will witness heretofore unthinkable exhaustion of the ocean’s natural ability to satisfy humanity’s demand for food from the seas.”

-- Dr. Carl Safina

Two 60-minute documentaries examine the declining state of the world’s ocean fisheries as we enter the 21st century and the pioneering efforts of fishermen, scientists and communities to sustain and restore them.

Many marine scientists agree that the conduct of the global fishing fleet is now the number one human activity threatening the health of our oceans. Throughout the ages, the world has enjoyed a vast and unlimited ocean, yielding abundant seafood. But increasing demand, new technologies, and burgeoning coastal populations are straining the limits of the ocean’s ability to sustain healthy fish populations. Narrated by Peter Coyote, Empty Oceans, Empty Nets is a powerful documentary on the rapidly declining fish harvests of the world. These harvests are important not only for the more than 200 million people worldwide who hold fishing-related jobs, but for many of the world’s populations, including over a billion people in Asia, who depend on seafood as their main source of protein. Unlike any other documentary yet produced, this series examines the state of the world’s oceans through the prism of fisheries and the millions of people who depend on them.

Using vivid images of sweeping nets full of fish unloading their contents onto commercial fishing boats, Empty Oceans, Empty Nets highlights the overwhelming magnitude of the annual worldwide harvest of more than 100 million metric tons of seafood. It also explores the stark reality of the 22 million tons of fish and other sea life that are caught and discarded by fishers each year. Viewers are transported to bustling and exotic international fish markets, where tons of fresh and frozen fish are sold each day to supply an insistent global demand and consumers will learn how they can make the biggest difference of all in sustaining the world’s ocean fisheries.

AWARDS: 2002 CINE Golden Eagle; 2003 Columbus International Film Festival - Bronze Plaque; 2003 Ekotopfilm Festival - Grand Prize Public Affairs

 

> Go to the special PBS web page for this film.

> See the complete interview transcriptions for this film.

> Learn about the issues highlighted in this film.

> Participate! Click for a list of seafood guides and suggestions on how you can help preserve our marine resources.

> Connect to other concerned organizations by visiting our links page.

> Click for the advisory board for this film.

> Read the past PBS carriage report.

> Read about Empty Ocean, Empty Nets' reported outcomes.

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