Ocean – With David Attenborough
I had been looking forward to this documentary. I had read plenty of press coverage and so relished the chance for a viewing. There was some negative commentary from commercial fishing interests and I was surprised to see some negative stuff relating to David Attenborough, largely due to his standpoint on climate change.
I was surprised to see that the message of this documentary is really a simple one: Our Oceans are in trouble and we cannot continue commercial fishing as it is carried out now. We really have no choice but to protect the Oceans and the fish and animals within. Our very future depends on it. It’s as simple as that.
This is a beautifully constructed film. The shots of the blue oceans and beautiful species of fish and mammals are incredible. As an angler that loves nothing more than to be at sea, this movie confirms things that I see every time I take to the water. The movie tells us that it is in more recent years that science realises how connected the whole planet really is and how killing our oceans will ultimately kill the planet. The ocean is a wondrous place, even more so when you see some of the footage presented here. This wonder is juxtaposed with footage of bottom trawling and industrial fishing on a vast scale. It is shocking to see huge factory ships taking massive amounts of Krill right from under the noses of the species that need this Krill to survive. To see the massive trawlers cleaning out the seas off every part of the planet is rather shocking. The effect on the population of Africa is highlighted – the modern face of colonialism. From sharks to sprat from krill to mackerel the loss of biodiversity is staggering – This goes beyond the need to feed our population.
After such a depressing vista it is only right to try and build to a positive end. And the film tries to do this. It stresses a simple solution that has been apparent to us anglers for years – Protect them and they will recover and thrive. This is a documentary that should be compulsory viewing for all.
To the commercial fishing critics that claimed that this is anti-fishing propaganda: Go on then, justify the industrial overfishing of blue whiting and mackerel? Defend the pillaging of Irish bays of sprat. Explain the demise of cod, whiting, plaice, haddock and pollack. Defend huge factory ships fishing in the Antarctic fishing krill. Defend the demise of Irish Sea herring. Tell us the story of the orange roughy. Tell us about the fact that 80% of what is caught may be discarded. Tell us how the destruction of the sea bed is really rejuvenating the bottom!
I’ll tell you of spurdog and smoothound numbers growing each year once they were protected. I’ll tell you of flapper skate numbers growing now that they are protected. I’ll tell you about Irish bass coming back from the brink once they were protected. The documentary tell of recovery of whales, of spiny lobsters and more. But remember: There is nothing wrong with commercial fishing carried out sustainably, fairly and legally. Fish is a valuable food source and fishing a decent profession.
To the people pooh pooing David Attenborough’s climate change mantra – I think it was only mentioned two-maybe three times in the whole documentary and it was not his driver here.
In his own words the problem is this: “we once fished a few places near to shore to feed our communities; now we fish everywhere all the time; and I have lived through this change”
Ocean is available on Disney+ or maybe on other streaming services.
