The End of the Line

"Usually, the only thing we know about a piece of fish on our plate is that it is good for our bodies," says British journalist Charles Clover, who wrote The End of the Line. "But we lack other information that we should want to know - where does this fish come from, how was it caught and whether it is an endangered species." Clover's book inspired the director Rupert Murray to make this documentary about global fishing. The speed at which fishing is now carried out around the globe means that it is not possible for nature to renew its resources. The principal difficulty is a failure to observe fishing quotas, which the film claims China and some European states are guilty of. Another problem consists of the uneconomical harvesting of large quantities of fish, and the important role played by the fact that some species are preferred over others, particularly giant tuna, which is much sought after by gourmets. This visually gripping documentary puts forward some basic principles as to how individuals can intervene in the battle to save the balance of life in the world's oceans.