These conditions make it increasingly difficult for many of U.S. commercial fishermen to compete with large vessels that can venture out to sea for weeks at a time. In the developing world, the situation is more severe. Coastal waters are teeming with subsistence fishers in much smaller boats who lack sophisticated technology for finding fish and avoiding storms. In both regions our underwater cameras documented the impact of destructive fishing practices on the marine habitat. In the Philippine and Indonesian archipelagos, we documented coral reefs reduced to rubble by blast fishing.
Vast areas appear as eerie expanses of bleached skeletons from the repeated use of sodium cyanide.
We also filmed at some of the few pristine reefs remaining in the region that dramatically reveal the connection between intact ecosystems and healthy fisheries. In both hemispheres we interviewed marine biologists at the forefront of research being done to better understand the importance of underwater habitats. We documented successful efforts being made by individuals and groups to help restore and protect these marine ecosystems. In the U.S. we taped lively interviews with several fishery and marine science experts including Steven Murawski, Peter Auster, Carl Safina, Steven Berkeley, Mark Kurlansky and Jane Lubchenco. We interviewed past and current members of the New England Fisheries Management Council who expressed a range of viewpoints.