Seaspiracy may be infuriating ocean conservationists but the silver lining is larger than we think.

The Netflix documentary inaccurately reassigns all ocean problems to fishing, attacks NGOs, while ignoring complex social, economic, and political factors at play. BUT people are talking.

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Josh Silberg at Hakai Magazine recently published a thoughtful article, Seaspiracy Harms More Than It Educates. Please read it when you get the chance as I share many of the same sentiments. You likely do as well. Where I do part slightly from Silberg’s piece is that the documentary succeeds in bringing conservation dialogue into homes, it got seafood trending online, and viewers are thinking about their choices- perhaps not only at the grocery story but hopefully far beyond.

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As you are likely aware, the film tries to convince people that all ocean issues (for example acidification, warming, coral bleaching, deep sea mining, drilling for oil, seismic testing, sonar testing, maritime transport, ship strikes, fertilizers, pesticides, sewage, mountaintop removal, sedimentation, plastics, marine debris, high levels of mercury, air pollutants, radioactive waste, land rights, territorial waters disputes, trade deals, food security… you get the point) are all outnumbered by fishing. That fishing is the one issue that outweighs them all. Surely you know it is more complex than that. Any quick google search of the documentary will find you dozens of articles with fact-checks, inaccuracies, and controversies over the documentary.

Seaspiracy is especially frustrating to all of us who have dedicated our lives to ocean conservation and now seem to be accused of inappropriately directing our focus. Or for organizations like Hakai and SEVESEAS Media that work primarily on the media side of conservation (while still promoting sustainable fishing practices and aquaculture). We certainly should not be labeled and lumped into the villain category with whaling fleets. Nor as corrupt “blue-washers.” I have yet to see any donations from fisheries.

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To be clear, yes, if the world magically stopped extracting fish from the ocean many of our problems would be solved. Everyone who can eat less or no fish should do just that. But ask any marine ecologist, food security expert, politician, or anyone who has ever picked up the Economist, you cannot shut off fishing like a global light switch. 

Seaspiracy comes from a place of privilege expecting everyone to stop eating seafood when approximately 3 billion people, that is 39% of the planet, relies on seafood as their primary source of protein. It also does not take into account the ten percent of the world’s population that depends on fisheries for their livelihoods. 

Much like the sister documentary Cowspiracy, it seems to describe conservation groups as the corrupt bad guys, leaving worldwide veganism the only solution. They would likely have a larger impact trying to get the world to eat smarter than to convince 7.9 billion people to go vegan overnight. 

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BUT, the filmmaker and main character Ali Tabrizi, struck a chord with people streaming on Netflix. He did shed a light [and arguably a shadow] on many pressing issues. The very ocean issues that are being brought up at dinner tables and chat groups where they have been desperately missing. In the last two weeks I got loads of texts and calls from friends asking what I thought about Seaspiracy. People seem to care more than ever and want to help. The movie did do something and digesting a career’s worth of ocean literacy into one more accurate film might have accomplished much less. At least this documentary hammers down one of the many points. 

Perhaps the film would have been better as a mini series better covering each topic, but committing to an hour and twenty-nine minutes was easier to get the message across. Somehow slaughtered whales and plastic-filled albatross chicks are less fun to watch than Tiger King was a year ago, I get it. 

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Seaspiracy should have been a better a more accurate documentary and is frustrating marine conservationists, but I would wager the average viewer is more likely to make better choices after watching than worse ones. They might be more inspired to eat less seafood, better seafood, buy less plastic, and read an article here or there to learn more. At least that is my bit of ocean optimism. Conservation has not been an easy or uplifting career for anyone in this generation so I will take the small wins, even if today it is just getting people talking about the ocean. 

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Join Hakai on April 8, 2021, at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time (2:30 p.m. Eastern Time) for a discussion about the new film Seaspiracy and how to view it with a discerning eye.