“Seaspiracy” is a Netflix documentary that was released in March, and was filmed and directed by British filmmaker Ali Tabrizi. In the documentary, Tabrizi takes a journey across the world’s oceans to brazenly expose the wrongdoings of the commercial fishing industry and the effects it has on marine life. Capturing video footage of his travels, Tabrizi provides a shocking but eye-opening experience for viewers.

The film’s message is very clear and is fiercely promoted: save the world’s oceans before it’s too late. This is a recurring theme in many ocean-related documentaries, but Tabrizi does more than just state it–he examines how society can help in the marine recovery effort.

He questions whether ideas such as sustainable fishing exist, goes behind the scenes with companies issuing “Dolphin Safe” labels, and investigates fish farming and aquaculture. By the end of the film, the conclusion is reached that the way to marine recovery is to greatly reduce fish consumption or eliminate it altogether. 

Personally, I found this film very interesting in the way it delves into so much more than just ocean pollution and plastics as major issues. Tabrizi goes in-depth about other issues that are not brought to light as often, like bycatch; ocean deforestation; overfishing; and the covert hunting of whales, dolphins, and sharks. 

Overall, Tabrizi does a great job evoking emotion in viewers and the end of the film leaves watchers wanting to do their part in marine recovery. However, the animal harm that is caught on camera can be deeply disturbing and extremely saddening, and I had a hard time watching some of it.

Even so, “Seaspiracy” is thought-provoking and definitely worth watching. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in marine life or marine conservation.