Fish out of Water 2002
Distributed by The Video Project, 375 Alabama, Suite 490, San Francisco, CA 94110; 800-4-PLANET
Produced By Daniel Breton of Ganglion Films
Directed By Daniel Breton
VHS, color, 55 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Environmental Studies, Animal Behavior, Biology
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed By Todd Hannon Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish CommissionThis documentary chronicles ongoing seabird recovery efforts at Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge in the Gulf of Maine. The island's puffin and tern populations, once devastated by the millinery industry and by rising numbers of predatory gulls, have rebounded and are the primary focus of this exceptional film.
Fish out of Water succeeds on multiple levels. The exquisite filming takes the viewer into the burrows of nesting puffins for a voyeuristic look at chick feeding that includes full sound. A glimpse of the emotional investment humans have made in the project emerges artfully from the film. The captivating ecology and behavior of the birds are featured prominently and will broadly appeal to diverse audiences from ornithologists to bird novices.
Fish out of Water receives my highest recommendation and should be considered for junior high, high school, college and public library collections.