The End of the Line

February 24, 2010 |

Goucher College will present a screening of The End of the Line — an independent documentary film lauded at the Sundance film festival as the Inconvenient Truth of the oceans — on Wednesday, February 24. This free, public event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the college’s Kelley Lecture Hall; a free dessert reception will follow the screening.

Filmed over two years in locations across the globe — from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market — The End of the Line follows reporter Charles Clover as he investigates the effect of overfishing on the world’s oceans.

Directed by Rupert Murray, the film makes the case that the near depletion of numerous fish populations is being caused by consumers who buy endangered fish; politicians who ignore the advice of scientists; fishermen who break quotas and fish illegally; and the global fishing industry, which is slow to react to an impending disaster.

In the film, scientists, indigenous fishermen, and fisheries enforcement officials discuss how Western demand for sushi is leading to the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, how overfishing affects marine life, and how a severe dearth of fish will cause mass starvation.

The End of the Line points to solutions that are simple and doable and stresses that political will and activism will be crucial to solve this international problem.

This film screening is hosted by Bon Appétit, Goucher’s food services provider, and the President’s Office.