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Netflix’s latest documentary, Seaspiracy, has rocked the world by revealing the ugly truth behind the seafood industry. However, some have questioned the validity of claims by Ali Tabrizi who starred and directed the controversial documentary.
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While some agreed with the message portrayed by Seaspiracy, only questioning the way it was presented, others felt that it was all a shady agenda to push veganism on everyone. Some common criticisms have cropped up, attacking the accuracy of the located data, the practicality of the solutions provided, and much more.
10 The call to action is impractical
At the end of the documentary, the message is clear; people need to stop eating fish. After 90 minutes observing millions of marine animals being killed by commercial fishing vessels and as bycatch (undesirable sea creatures caught with a specific fished species), the decision to ditch the fish and turn to other food sources is almost a given to some.
But, critics have argued that this call to action comes from a privileged position. For many, the fish they catch is their only source of food, and giving it up means going hungry. In such cases, quitting eating fish is not only impossible, but also a direct threat to their very existence.
9 It’s Vegan Propaganda
Seaspiracy focuses on the dangers of fishing and the urgent need to stop eating fish. Meat as a whole has been called a destructive industry by some and people have been encouraged to adopt a vegan lifestyle instead.
Any validity of the claims made in the documentary were called into question by the call to action for everyone to stop eating fish. The appeal was seen by some as veganism being imposed on people when the decision should be a free choice.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY 8 Features out-of-context interviews
The documentary features several interviews with people and organizations involved in the fishing industry, such as Oceana and some government officials. In many of them, participants seemed to evade questions or give half-answers. Overall, most of their responses didn’t present them in their best light or inspire confidence in what they were saying.
After Seaspiracy was released, some of the people featured said they were misrepresented and had their interviews and responses taken out of context.
7 He ignores the existence of sustainable seafood
Achieving and maintaining sustainability in all things is a goal that many have preached and few have achieved. The fishing industry has many organizations that have been declared sustainable under certain standards set by organizations such as the Marine Stewardship Council.
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According to Seaspiracy, sustainable seafood does not exist. This claim was based on several interviews with organizations that were supposed to offer sustainable seafood products when their representatives could not guarantee that their processes were sustainable or dolphin-safe, as their labels suggested. Critics have argued that this claim dismisses organizations that are actually working to achieve sustainability in their fisheries.
6 He Jumps From Problem To Problem
In the introduction to the documentary, Ali mentioned that he set out to show the negative impact humans have on ocean life. The first segment of Seaspiracy focused on highlighting the problem of plastic dumped in seas and oceans; from plastic utensils and bottles to straws and plastic bags. There were also plenty of grim statistics about sea creatures dying with bellies full of plastic products from the sea and climate change.
From there, Ali spoke of whaling, shark finning, and then commercial fishing as an even bigger problem responsible for the majority of plastic products found in the sea. Critics called this shift confusing as it combined different issues and made it difficult to follow or understand one or the other.
5 He cites outdated data
Besides the disturbing images of sea creatures dying in the thousands shown in Seaspiracy, the other most disturbing thing about the documentary was the statistics cited. In one instance, Ali raised the possibility of the seas being virtually empty by 2048.
Critics, however, disputed this data, saying it was inaccurate, outdated, and a gross misrepresentation of what was really happening only to alarm people and advance the vegan agenda.
4 He lacks balance
Seaspiracy’s singular focus on the fishing industry and its detrimental impact on the world’s oceans brought to light a problem that many were unaware of. However, in an effort to drive home this point, many believe the documentary has become biased in favor of abolishing commercial fishing practices.
While it may be true that a lot of unsavory things and scandals happen on open waters, there are arguments that some big organizations are doing good too, but that wasn’t shown in the documentary. . The only exception is Sea Shepherd, a volunteer-run marine conservation group to protect marine life.
3 fishermen have been excluded from the conversation
One of the biggest criticisms of Seaspiracy is that despite being a documentary about the practice of fishing, no fisherman was actually included in the conversation. There were several interviews with organizations involved in sustainable seafood, but none with people who actually fish on the water.
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As a key part of the industry being discussed, the audience felt they should have had the chance to present their side of the story. The documentary mentions two fishermen who were fishing far from land in a small boat without life jackets, forced to do so to find food.
2 It ignores some of the best practices
The world is far from perfect when it comes to sustainability, but efforts to make it happen cannot be ignored. This is a grievance many had with Seaspiracy. The Netflix documentary did shine a light on the horrific practices that occur in the name of commercial fishing, but failed to acknowledge some of the rare good things.
For example, some communities that depend on fishing for food and livelihood practice sustainable harvesting methods. On a commercial scale, there are reports of math, computer models, and scientific studies to ensure sustainable fishing.
1 The real cause of ocean plastic pollution
For years, the scientific community and environmentalists have warned of the growing problem of plastic pollution in the oceans. In Seaspiracy, the same issue is raised with a small difference. Although plastic pollution from straws, bottles, plastic bags and other plastic products is bad, according to Seaspiracy, it pales in comparison to the pollution caused by commercial fishing.
There are arguments refuting this, claiming that while the figure is accurate, it lacks context. Since fishing gear is bulkier, it fragments more slowly than plastic bags and straws, hence their dominant presence in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
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About the Author Tricia Mawire (163 published articles)
Tricia is a listings writer for Screen Rant with a background in creative writing and a love for all things film and TV. She fell in love with reading at the age of 10 after discovering that her favorite movie, Matilda, was based on a novel. This led to his first in-depth analysis of the literary work to his mother and all who listened to him. If she’s not reading or writing stories with crazy twists, she’s gorging on a new series and ranting about character arcs and plot holes. Or she eats fries.
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