End of the Line, The (2009) - Synopsis

Sound the global alarm. Scientists predict that if we continue fishing at the current rate, the planet will run out of seafood by 2048 with catastrophic consequences. Based on the book by Charles Clover, and narrated by Ted Danson, The End of the Line explores the devastating effect that overfishing is having on fish stocks and the health of our oceans.With Clover as his guide, Sundance veteran Rupert Murray (Unknown White Male) crisscrosses the globe, examining what is causing the dilemma and what can be done to solve it. Industrial fishing began in the 1950s. High-tech fisheries now trawl the oceans with nets the size of football fields. Species cannot survive at the rate they are being removed from the sea. Add in cofactors of decades of bad science, corporate greed, small-minded governments, and escalating consumer demand, and we’re left with a crisis of epic proportions. Ninety percent of the big fish in our oceans are now gone. Murray interweaves glorious footage from both underwater and above with shocking scientific testimony to paint a vivid and alarming profile of the state of the sea. The ultimate power of The End of the Line is that it moves beyond doomsday rhetoric to proffer real solutions. Chillingly topical, The End of the Line drives home the message: the clock is ticking, and the time to act is now. — from the 2009 Sudance Film Festival Catalog

"The inconvenient truth about the impact of overfishing on the world’s oceans"
— The Economist
Fresh from its World Premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, THE END OF THE LINE is the first major documentary about the imminent peril facing the world’s oceans.
Narrated by Ted Danson and based on the book by Charles Clover, THE END OF THE LINE explores the devastating effect that overfishing is having on fish stocks and the health of our oceans. Scientists predict that if we continue fishing at the current rate, the planet will completely run out of fish by 2048.

THE END OF THE LINE will be released theatrically beginning June 19th in 12 to 15 cities, and will be supported by numerous word-of-mouth screenings on June 8, 2009 — World Ocean Day.
Endorsed by and with major marketing support from National Geographic, Greenpeace, and the Natural Resources Defense Fund (NRDC), THE END OF THE LINE is the definitive film of 2009 for those who care about the environment, the safety of our food supply, and the preservation of endangered species.
More than just a doomsday warning, THE END OF THE LINE offers real, practical solutions that are simple and doable, including advocating for controlled fishing of engendered species, protecting networks of marine reserves off-limits to fishing, and educating consumers that they have a choice by purchasing fish from sustainable fisheries.