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The End of the Line

Play trailer Poster for The End of the Line 2009 1h 22m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Rupert Murray's acclaimed film looking at the consequences of unchecked, unregulated sea fishing across the globe. It is not a film about what might happen, it is a film about what has happened. The collapse of the cod population saw the end of 40,000 jobs, the bluefin tuna is being hunted to extinction, and it takes five kilos of anchovies to produce one fish farmed salmon.

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Critics Consensus

A thought-provoking and insightful documentary about the dangers of commercial fishing.

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Critics Reviews

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Desson Thomson Washington Post 08/14/2009
If the tone is occasionally off-putting, the message -- at least, the facts about the fish -- is harder to shrug off. Go to Full Review
Wesley Morris Boston Globe 07/23/2009
2/4
This movie wants to cover every base without thinking very deeply about them. So while a lot of ground is covered in 80 brisk minutes, the information presented is only abstractly useful. Go to Full Review
Jason Anderson Toronto Star 07/17/2009
2.5/4
It's hard not to feel that the vital information in The End of the Line may have been more effectively relayed by Clover's original book or by a movie whose methods were less pedantic and pedestrian. Go to Full Review
Narelle Towie Sunday Times (Australia) 05/17/2010
This is a documentary that will change the way you think about seafood and give you the power of knowledge to make a change. Go to Full Review
Jason Di Rosso MovieTime, ABC Radio National 05/14/2010
As the final credits roll you feel like you've been on an emotional rollercoaster -- the same as you might if you'd just watched a moderately successful Hollywood disaster movie. Go to Full Review
Simon Foster sbs.com.au 05/14/2010
3.5/5
Revelations about the tonnes of wasted sealife caught and discarded annually and the destructive effects of practices such as bottom-trawling, are head-spinning in their immensity. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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09/10/2013 Important documentary about the dangerously declining populations of sea life, particularly the major species we like to eat, but others as well, due to industrial fishing out of control. It started with the disappearance of the majority of the cod populations causing cod fishing to be banned in the Atlantic in 1992, as many remember. Unfortunately, we've moved on from cod and are systematically clearing out the rest. We're getting dangerously close to the collapse, and possible extinction, of many species of fish. It's much worse than you probably know. See more 10/20/2012 I already knew about the problems of over fishing, but this film really gets the point home in shocking fashion. At this rate in 20-30 years the oceans will be practically empty. The real shock for me was the result on the ecosystem of the ocean, and the effect on the oceans water. It's a delicate balance humans are blindly destroying. See more 06/26/2012 Excellent documentary along with food inc and a crude awakening showing how ultimately we are doomed due to our greed/success at hunting/fishing etc See more 04/23/2012 Everyone should watch this and act. See more 03/29/2012 Learned a couple new things.. Much more of the same.. Positive ending. See more 03/28/2012 I have a trio of English papers to respond to that all deal with coral reef degradation and overfishing. I believe they all saw this movie, and I can see why they chose to research the topic. The eyes of the dying fish were in my dreams! See more Read all reviews
The End of the Line

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Movie Info

Synopsis Rupert Murray's acclaimed film looking at the consequences of unchecked, unregulated sea fishing across the globe. It is not a film about what might happen, it is a film about what has happened. The collapse of the cod population saw the end of 40,000 jobs, the bluefin tuna is being hunted to extinction, and it takes five kilos of anchovies to produce one fish farmed salmon.
Director
Rupert Murray
Producer
George Duffield, Claire Lewis
Production Co
The Fish Film, Arcane Pictures, Dartmouth Films, Calm Productions
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 19, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 4, 2017
Runtime
1h 22m
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