Seaspiracy

Seaspiracy
Official poster
Directed byAli Tabrizi
Produced byKip Andersen
Cinematography
  • Ali Tabrizi
  • Lucy Tabrizi
Edited by
  • Ali Tabrizi
  • Lucy Tabrizi
Music byBenjamin Sturley
Production
companies
  • A.U.M. Films
  • Disrupt Studios
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • March 24, 2021 (2021-03-24) (Netflix)
Running time
89 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Seaspiracy (/siːˈspɪrəsi/) is a 2021 documentary film about the environmental impact of fishing directed by and starring Ali Tabrizi, a British filmmaker.[1] The film examines human impacts on marine life and advocates for ending fish consumption.

The film explores environmental issues affecting oceans, including plastic pollution, ghost nets and overfishing,[2] and argues that commercial fisheries are the main driver of marine ecosystem destruction.[3] The film rejects the concept of sustainable fishing and criticises several marine conservation organisations, including the Earth Island Institute and its dolphin safe label[4] and the sustainable seafood certifications of the Marine Stewardship Council.[5] It also criticises efforts by organisations to reduce household plastic, contrasting their impact with that of ghost nets.[6] It accuses these initiatives of being a cover-up for the environmental impact of fishing and corruption in the fishing industry.[7][8] Seaspiracy concludes by supporting marine reserves and for ending fish consumption.[9]

The film was produced by Kip Andersen, director of the documentary Cowspiracy,[10] and used the same production team as this previous film. Initial financial support was provided by British entrepreneur Dale Vince, and it was acquired by Netflix in 2020.

The film premiered on Netflix globally in March 2021 and garnered immediate attention in several countries.[11] The film received mixed reviews; reviewers praised it for bringing attention to its subject matter, but it was accused of scientific inaccuracy[10] and was criticised by some ocean experts.[12][13][14] Organisations and individuals interviewed or negatively portrayed in the film disputed its assertions and accused the film of misrepresenting them.[15][16] Seaspiracy also prompted responses from other environmental organisations, academics and seafood industry groups, and several media outlets fact-checked certain statements in the film.

  1. ^ "Meet the 27-year-old filmmaker behind Netflix's controversial documentary, Seaspiracy". The Independent. March 31, 2021. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  2. ^ "Seaspiracy: what is Ali and Lucy Tabrizi's shocking Netflix fishing industry documentary about?". The Scotsman. March 26, 2021. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  3. ^ "Faut-il cesser de manger du poisson?". Le Devoir (in French). March 27, 2021. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2021. Avec ce documentaire, tourné dans plusieurs régions maritimes du globe, le réalisateur Ali Tabrizi cherche donc à mettre en lumière ce qu'il considère comme un aveuglement collectif face à la dégradation des écosystèmes marins. Et pour lui, il ne fait aucun doute que les pêcheries commerciales sont le principal moteur de destruction de ces milieux naturels, qui sont le fruit de centaines de millions d'années d'évolution.
  4. ^ Winkelman, Natalia (March 24, 2021). "'Seaspiracy' Review: Got Any Scandals? Go Fish". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  5. ^ "Our Seaspiracy response | Marine Stewardship Council". Marine Stewardship Council. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  6. ^ "'Seaspiracy' Summary & Analysis - Big Lie Of The Fishing Industry | DMT". Digital Mafia Talkies. April 11, 2021. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Back, Grace (March 26, 2021). "Netflix's New Documentary 'Seaspiracy' Is As Eye-Opening As It Is Terrifying". ELLE. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Seaspiracy, il lato oscuro della pesca". La Stampa (in Italian). March 26, 2021. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021. La tesi di "Seaspiracy è che non c'è grigio e bianco, appunto, ma solo riserve marine e smettere di mangiare pesce, di tutti i tipi.
  10. ^ a b Gatten, Emma (April 1, 2021). "Seaspiracy fact vs fiction: The truth behind Netflix's controversial new documentary". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021. The film's producer, Kip Andersen, is a prominent vegan who made the earlier documentary Cowspiracy, and has set up a vegan meal planning subscription service that is linked from the Seaspiracy website.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :18 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference :11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Allen, Liz. "Seaspiracy: A Call To Action Or A Vehicle Of Misinformation?". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "Seaspiracy: Netflix documentary accused of misrepresentation by participants". The Guardian. March 31, 2021. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  16. ^ "Seaspiracy film assails fishing and aquaculture sectors that seem ready for a good fight". Global Aquaculture Alliance. March 26, 2021. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.