Sharkwater
by Rob Stewart
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DVD details
Actor: Boris Worm, Erich Ritter, Patrick Moore, Paul Watson, Rob StewartDirector: Rob Stewart
Brand: Warner Bros
Writer: Rob Stewart
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-08
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Closed-captioned; Color; DVD; Widescreen; NTSC
DVD Reviews of Sharkwater
DVD Review: Shepherding the sharks
Summary: 5 Stars
"Sharkwater" is a fascinating Canadian documentary featuring the scuba diver Rob Stewart and the controversial environmentalist activist Paul Watson, the leader of the Sea Shepherd organization. Together, Stewart and Watson want to save - wait for it - the sharks!
I've heard of people who want to save whales or dolphins, but this is the first time I encounter people who actually want to save sharks. I didn't even know sharks were particularly threatened. Shark the hunter, man the hunted, right?
Not so, according to "Sharkwater". 90% of the shark population is already gone, and several species are threatened with extinction, including the peaceful whale shark (the world's largest fish). The documentary even claims that the complete extinction of sharks might affect the global climate, since shark predation stops other fish from overconsuming plankton. And plankton is necessary to keep the climate in balance.
I'm not sure if I buy that particular argument, or the claim that most sharks are pretty harmless to humans, but it's pretty clear from the documentary that all sharks are threatened by overfishing from the absurd shark finning industry. Conservations efforts are hampered by a variety of factors: shark fin soup and other shark-derived products are part of East Asian culture, the oceans are difficult to control, and many people don't like sharks anyway!
The most interesting part of "Sharkwater" features Paul Watson and his notorious activist group Sea Shepherd. I've heard of Sea Shepherd already 25 years ago, when they were literally attacking whaling ships in Iceland and Norway. Sea Shepherd has always been considered a dangerous extremist group.
Or so I imagined.
In "Sharkwater", Sea Shepherd is actually invited by the president of Costa Rica to protect the Cocos Island from poachers. However, as Watson and his ship approaches Costa Rica, something goes dangerously wrong. The local authorities in the coastal town of Puntarenas suddenly turn coat and start prosecuting Sea Shepherd, placing the entire crew in house arrest! Stewart goes AWOL and soon discovers what's going on: the Taiwanese mafia controls large and illegal shark finning facilities in the town, complete with secret ports. Here we have another and more disturbing reason why conservation efforts fail: sheer corruption. The mobsters presumably bought off the courts in Puntarenas, making sure they turn against Sea Shepherd.
Watson, Stewart and the other activists see no other choice than to leave Costa Rica as fast as possible, which they also manage to do under dramatic circumstances, the Sea Shepherd ship being chased by the coast guard. Instead, they set sail to the Galapagos Island, where they are on friendly terms with the local authorities (!). Undaunted, Stewart decides to go back to Costa Rica in secret, and even sneeks into Puntarenas where the people have started to protest against the Taiwanese mafia and their illegal activities. Taking advantage of the chaos, Stewart finally manages to visit the elusive Cocos Island, where he can be alone with his beloved sharks...
"Sharkwater" does get a bit too romantic for my taste at times, but it's nevertheless one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Indeed, it often comes close to being an adventure or action movie. To some extent, it's also a propaganda movie for the Sea Shepherd organization. But then, these guys and their chases do make great television!
Five stars.
Description of Sharkwater
He risked his life to savethe most threatened species in the worldProductInformationSharkwater is a true-life adventure in which biologist and filmmakerRob Stewart brings us closer to sharks then ever before. Forhim exploring sharks began as an underwater adventure and turned intoa beautiful and dangerous life journey into the balance of life onearth. Driven by passion fed from a lifelong fascination withsharks Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions ofsharks as bloodthirsty man-eating monsters and reveals the reality ofsharks as pillars in the evolution of the seas.Filmed in visually stunning high definition video Sharkwater takesyou into the most shark-rich waters of the world exposing theexploitation and corruption surrounding the world's shark populationsin the marine reserves of Cocos Island Costa Rica and the GalapagosIslands Ecuador. In an effort to protect the sharks Stewartteams up with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of the Sea ShepherdConservation Society. Their unbelievable adventure togetherstarts with a battle between the Sea Shepherd and shark poachers inGuatemala resulting in pirate boat rammings gunboat chases mafiaespionage corrupt court systems and attempted murder charges forcingthem to flee for their lives.Through it all Stewart discovers these magnificent creatures have gonefrom predator to prey and how despite surviving the earth's historyof mass extinctions they could easily be wiped out within a few yearsdue to human greed. As a result of irrational and uncheckedhuman hunting the world's shark population has decreased anastonishing 90%. Stewart's remarkable journey ofcourage and determination changes from a mission to save the world'ssharks into a fight for his life and that of mankind.Product Features Beneath the Surface Featurette Shark Defense Naval Training Film Theatrical Trailer and TV SpotsSpecifications StarsBestsellers in DVD
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