Sharkwater

This movie was made by a combination marine biologist and underwater photographer Rob Stweart. He is what George Costanza pretended to be. The movie as originally concieved was going to be a typical nature documentry, or more ambitiously Baraka underwater. Unfortunately the reality intervened. Rob caught a ride south with one the Sea Shepherd Society and they come accross crimes on the sea.

The Sea Shepherd Society was founded by Paul Watson, one of the founders of Green Peace. This society operates sort of like pirates for the sea, look at their flag, with cooperation with local authorities if the locals are cooperative and not owned by criminal groups. In the Q&A afterward Watson had little good say about many countries, Canada, he described the marine biologists at DFO prostictists, because who give the results the dept, and industry, asks for.

Instead of making the cool underwater movie about sharks, fate intervened. Off the coast of Costa Rica the Sea Shepherd ship, The Ocean Warrior, comes accross a Guatemalan fishing boat taking shark fins. The Ocean Warrior calls the Costa Rican coast guard and is authorized to arrest the ship. The Guatemalan fishermen are uncooperative. The long lines are cut. A ramming attempted. A water cannon swamps the fishing until it agress to be towed. Unfortunately when the Ocean Warrior gets to San Jose, it is arrested, ship searched and crew put on ship arrest. Pay offs have been made by somebody some where. The rest of documentry is more a primer on eco politics and direct action.

What I learned: Sharks are not dangerous.