The End of the Line

Based on the book by Charles Clover (who also appears in the film), The End of the Line details yet another of the many current global epidemics in pointing out that the world's piscatory stock may very well be depleted by the year 2048. Of course, a world without edible fish would negatively impact not only the economy and an entire industry but also the ecosystem on a grander scale, given how sensitive various environments are to the disappearance of any link in the food chain. With narration from Ted Danson, the documentary tracks the major points in history that led to our current plight, starting out with the virtual extinction of Cod out in Newfoundland in the late '80s, which led to mass unemployment and devastation on the East coast. We then learn that scientific research pointed to decreased numbers elsewhere, despite the seeming numerical increase in the worldwide take, as a result of some deliberate tampering on the part of China, for financial and political reasons. This decade-long booboo led to further depletion and species extinction. Other topics come up as well, such as the problem with sushi restaurants serving endangered fish and corporations buying out fishing rights in communities that depend on them for sustainability, but mostly, Rupert Murray's documentary makes a bid for advocacy. While beautifully filmed and quite convincing, it often borders on polemic, editing together images of anglers with dead fish and blood, when not vilifying anyone with a differing perspective. Resultantly, its success relies much on how prone a given viewer is to natural agreement, along with their overall perspective on environmental crises. At the very least, viewers may think twice before eating blue fin tuna, or look into the source of the fish they buy from the grocery store. No supplements are included with the DVD.