End of the Line Film Analysis - Essay Example

End of the Line The End of the Line is a documentary film focusing on the looming crisis at sea, specifically the devastating effect of overfishing. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival which took place in Park City, Utah, on January 15 to 25, 2009. The aim of the film is to increase public awareness of the dangers of commercial overfishing which would eventually lead to a world without fish. In this regard, this essay is written to proffer the economic points raised throughout the video focusing on the economic issues discussed. The discourse would initially present the dilemma of overfishing and how it actually started. Eventually, the effects of overfishing would be briefly discussed before touching on the economic issues of overfishing. According to the film, commercial overfishing actually started about 50 years ago when advances in technology enabled various fishermen to increase their catch magnanimously. The conventional trawlers and small fishing boats were replaced by huge factory ships which have the capacity to freeze or tin fishes up to the time that their holds are full. Economies of scale are practiced as early as this when these huge factory ships invested the necessary funds to ensure that their catches should be maximized before they would return to the respective ports. Overfishing has debilitating effects on all marine life. As the film emphasized, it initially examined the worrisome extinction of the bluefin tuna and other big fishes due to the increasing demand for sushi. The decrease in the pool of big fishes has the repercussion of increasing the population of jellyfishes. The economic implications of an overpopulation of jellyfishes are follows: there are more losses in terms of revenues for the fishing industry; without fishes there is rampant unemployment; the jellyfishes endangers fishermen and beach goers; and the presence of jellyfishes cause a decline in the prices of the remaining fishes caught. According to Kelly (2010), “the existence of jelly fish has changed consumer preferences, concerns about the quality of fish has led to a decline in the price of fish, this has resulted as consumers demand less fish given that they fear that the fish may be contaminated with sting venom from jelly fish, therefore this has resulted into a loss of revenue for fishermen who have now decided to exit the fishing industry.” The film has warned viewers that “scientists predict that if we continue fishing as we are now, we will see the end of most seafood by 2048” (The Film, n.d. par. 8). This is just barely 4 decades from now. The urgency of the matter is most pressing and alarming that the film’s investigative reporter and author of the book of the same title, Charles Clover, deemed it of utmost importance to address this dilemma at the soonest possible time. The public should be made aware, be moved and besieged by the impending threats to the oceans of the world these past decades due to unprecedented and irrational coastline overdevelopment, global warming, pollution, and relentless fishing practices. One of the most serious economic implications of overfishing is the threat to human existence in terms of total depletion of marine resources which is the source of food for survival. Most of the Asian nations depend on the seas for their food and livelihood. Overfishing takes away both their means of survival and means of livelihood. Until now, insufficient efforts nor policies and plans have been drawn by our government to save our oceans. There are numerous conservation, recreation and civic organizations that call on you to unit with their efforts and be the representative to establish a unified and coordinated government leadership for ocean and coastal resource. An immediate action is the only recourse to save our oceans. It is imperative to take the helm and closely review government subsidies that still encourage growth in already high risk coastal areas. Now is the time to update ocean and coastal policies to prevent continued deterioration and unconcerned destruction of an irreplaceable natural resource. The Global Overfishing website revealed that Greenpeace International is an organization committed to heed warning that “the worlds oceans are under a very serious and growing threat from overfishing” (Global Overfishing, n.d., par. 1). Accordingly, the discourse clearly and explicitly emphasized that “Greenpeace has been sounding the alarm about such dire consequences for marine ecology for a decade, highlighting in particular that there are simply too many large-scale, high-tech fishing boats roaming the worlds oceans on an unsustainable course of plunder for profit wherever fish stocks can be found” (Global Overfishing, n.d., par. 6). The lucrative call of the sea has astounded and lured business organizations to invest vast amounts of money to plunder the world’s oceans. The Global Overfishing site proffered information pinpointing the countries contribute most to the problem of overcapacity in the global marine fishing flee (ibid., par. 25); the call to reduce industrialized fleets; the demands of Greenpeace to cut the numbers and capacity of large-scale fishing fleets; and the suggested measures to cut back fishing efforts. The Environmental Involvement for Young People (EIYP) revealed that overfishing “does not just damage the population of that fish alone. It can have serious effects further up the food chain” (EIYP, n.d. par. 13). The rationale for their contention is hereby quoted, to wit: “Herring is a vital prey species for the cod. Therefore, when herring are overfished the cod population suffers as well. The sandeel is the main food for seabirds such as the puffin. Sandeels have been fished around the Shetland Islands since the mid-1970s, though catches were declining throughout the 1980s. At the same time, the colonies of seabirds nesting around Shetland declined, with some even falling to breed for several years.” (EIYP, n.d., par. 13). As recommended, the following are some of the most viable options to address this dilemma: (1) quotas must be set and strictly adhered to in fishing specified marine species depending on sizes and stock; (2) fishers must follow and use correct mesh sizes to ensure that only those marine species with the correct size and age could be caught; (3) international agreements must be forged to limit catches and specify quotas and restrictions; (4) government subsidies to industrialized fishing vessels must be totally eliminated; (5) total ban on huge factory ships; (6) a close inventory and monitory of all fishing vessels to ensure that the number of fishers balance the current supply of fishes in the oceans; and (7) give ample time for the present marine resources to reproduce to sustain projected yield. Conclusion The film The End of the Line is the most appropriate and extensive manner to reach out and make people aware of the dangers of overfishing. Various government leaders all over the world must raise their voices and express their genuine concern and appropriate action to protect and preserve the world’s oceans to leave them as a legacy to the children of the future. The children should not be given the by-products of rampant destruction of these natural resources. It is every one’s responsibility to preserve botanical and biological resources and to assist in an immediate rehabilitation of the world’s oceans and address the still impending, alarming and devastating threats. Works Cited Environmental Involvement for Young People (EIYP). Over Fishing. N.d. Web. 10 June 2010. < http://www.ypte.org.uk/environmental/over-fishing/29> Global Overfishing. Dead Ahead - Industrial Fishing Fleets Set Course for Disaster. N.d. Web. 10 June 2010. < Dead Ahead - Industrial Fishing Fleets Set Course for Disaster> Kelly, Charles. Jelly Fish and Its Economic Impact. 2010. Web. 10 June 2010. < http://www.articlesbase.com/nature-articles/jelly-fish-and-its-economic-impacts- 2185316.html> The End of the Line. The Film. N.d. Web. 10 June 2010. < http://endoftheline.com/film/> Read More