Hi! It’s konkaz (@konkazuk).
A couple of days ago, my wife and I helped distribute the Green Party’s newsletter in Dalston, Hackney.
Later, we had a chance to talk with Reiner, a party member who had been accompanying us while we were still getting used to the task, at a cafe.
When we mentioned that my wife, an artist, was working on pieces related to marine environmental issues, Reiner said, “Oh, there’s going to be a screening and discussion of the documentary Seaspiracy at St. Paul’s Church in Stoke Newington.”
On the day of the event, I thought I had no chance of attending since my shift didn’t end until 9 PM. But luckily, I was able to leave at 8:30, jumped on my bike, sped back to Hackney, and made it just in time for the discussion.
The Faces of the Panel Discussion
When I joined the discussion, about 10 minutes late, I found that Reiner was helping with the event hosted by “Sustainable Hackney”.
The three guests who were invited this time are, from left to right in the photo above:
Rachel Dingley,
Fazilette Khan,
and
James Morris.
Rachel Dingley is a member of the marine conservation organisation “Sea Shepherd”.
In “Seaspiracy“, there is a scene depicting efforts to crack down on fishing vessels that disregard regulations and continue overfishing in African waters. Sea Shepherd is an organisation that actively operates on the front lines of such enforcement and marine protection.
Fazilette Khan is the founder of GreenSeas Trust and is actively working on projects to reduce plastic pollution entering the ocean.
James Morris is a project manager at the Blue Marine Foundation.
Since this organisation, a leading charity specialising in marine conservation, was founded by Charles Clover, the author of “Rewilding the Sea“, which I read last year, I was personally excited to meet James.
One concerning fact is that,
although marine scientists have clearly stated with specific figures that catching more fish would pose a risk to the ocean ecosystem, the government has continuously permitted much larger catches and has entrusted the fishing industry with this authority for nearly 15 years.
The Blue Marine Foundation has been lobbying the government on this issue for years, but they have finally reached their limit and decided to take the matter to court.
In the film “Seaspiracy”, one proposed solution to the serious issue of declining fish populations in our oceans was for us, as consumers, to stop eating fish.
However, aside from that, it was mentioned during the discussion that choosing fish caught by local fishermen, rather than large seafood companies, is an important way for us to support the local economy.
Thoughts on the Low Turnout
My wife, who attended the event from the start, mentioned that there were more people during the film screening. However, I still felt a strong sense of crisis when I looked at the overall turnout, especially with the lack of young people and the low attendance.
For a moment, I felt a surge of anger, wondering,
“Is no one paying attention to this alarming reality?”
But then, upon reflection, I realised that until recently, I too had only had a surface-level understanding of issues like plastic pollution and ocean acidification due to climate change.
It wasn’t until I read Charles Clover’s book and watched Seaspiracy that I discovered how severe the problem of overfishing is and how it’s led to such a drastic decline in fish populations.
For that reason, personally, I felt that it is most important for people around the world to be aware of this extremely alarming reality. I strongly realised that this is not an issue to be left to experts alone, but something each individual should recognise as their own problem.
Finally, I spoke with the guest, James Morris, and he mentioned that a new film about the marine environment will be released by the Blue Marine Foundation in a few months.
Together with Seaspiracy, I hope that through the screening of this new film, more people will become aware of the state of the oceans and that it will provide an opportunity to prevent the looming “death of the seas”.
And that wraps up the article about the local discussion event on the overfishing issue.
Until next time,
konkaz
*You can read this blog post in Japanese from the link below.
👉 “Seaspiracy” 上映会レポート｜海の危機と持続可能な未来を考える