Weather the Storm: The Fight to Stay Local in the Global Fishery 2008
Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by the Ethnographic Film Unit, University of British Columbia
Directed by Charles Menzies and Jennifer Rashleigh
DVD, color, 37 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Environmental Studies
Date Entered: 06/08/2009
Reviewed by Barbara Butler, University of Oregon Institute of Marine BiologyCharles Menzies grew up in a commercial fishing family, went to sea early, and by the age of 16 was a regular deck hand on his father’s boat. He chose a career in anthropology but never lost touch with his fishing background. He uses the shipboard footage shot by his father to show what a typical fishing operation used to look like and describes the changes that have taken place in fisheries worldwide during the past two decades.
By the 1980s fishing had become a highly mechanized process, providing humans with the ability to literally harvest a species to extinction. Fish stocks began to be threatened. In the 1990’s for example, the cod fishery on the east coast collapsed and the salmon and herring fisheries on the west coast were threatened. What must resource managers do to assure sustainable harvests and viable fish stocks?
Menzies introduces viewers to the artisan fishing fleet off France’s western coast. They use smaller boats, have smaller harvests and employ self-regulation which allows fish stocks to recover as necessary. The film is well-edited and well narrated and includes a variety of interview segments with fishery managers, fishermen and even fish shop owners. This informative film does a good job of showcasing the “artisanal” approach to fishing.
The DVD contains both French and English versions of the film and is divided into 13 short chapters. The English version contains subtitles for the many interviews with French speaking individuals, so the viewer must be prepared to do a certain amount of reading.
Weather the Storm received awards from the SVA Film Festival (American Anthropological Association) as well as the Festival “Pecheurs du monde” at the Lorient Film Festival.
Recommended for high-school, college and public libraries.