DVD Review: Sharkwater

Sharks are generally thought of as very dangerous creatures. Hollywood films such as Jaws have only cemented the shark's reputation as a human-killing machine. While Jaws is a classic thriller, the story has no basis in fact and serves as another piece of propaganda in the attempt to paint sharks as man's biggest enemy from the ocean. Rob Stewart, a Toronto-based marine biologist, underwater photographer, and first time filmmaker has made it his life's mission to re-educate the public about sharks.

Using stunning high definition underwater photography, Stewart has created a beautiful documentary full of ocean life. He shows us beautiful fish and plant life before we encounter our first shark. Stewart draws the viewer in immediately to the crisis for the shark population by stating that in just the past few decades, human pillaging has decreased the shark population by 90%.

Stewart makes clear from the start that he has chosen to film in some of the best remaining shark habitats in the world, the Cocos Island, Costa Rica, and the Galapagos Islands. First, we learn about long line fishing, a technique that stretches baited fishing lines over hundreds of miles, hooking and entangling innumerable fish and other marine life. Stewart cuts one of these lines off a boat. He is able to save one fish but several others are already dead. Though this practice is illegal in many countries, little is done to enforce the law. Stewart teams up with a gruff-looking guy named Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Watson and his organization don't mess around; they confront ocean conservation lawbreakers head on, by ramming their boats to force them into port if necessary.

The reason for the mass killing of sharks, the film claims, is almost entirely because of the demand for shark-fin soup, a Chinese delicacy that is flavored with chicken or pork stock but includes shark fin as a status symbol. Shark has also come to be sold as a treatment for cancer and other ailments, though there is no evidence that shark has any medicinal value. Stewart claims that, "only trafficking drugs rivals fins for profit."

Article Author: Rebecca Wright

Rebecca is a freelance writer, concentrating in the areas of film, television and music criticism. Her B.A. is in the Humanities with an emphasis in film and writing.She holds an M.A. in American and British literature with an emphasis in dystopian …

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