Latest news with #OceanWith
Irish Examiner
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Summer catch-up: 20 best films of the year so far and where to watch them
A Real Pain (Disney+ and rental platforms) Jesse Eisenberg and (Oscar winner) Kieran Culkin deliver star turns in this comedy-drama, written and directed by Eisenberg. They play two close but mismatched US cousins, reunited on a road trip to Poland, to remember the heritage of their late grandmother. Chaos, wackiness and emotional rollercoasters ensue in this layered, funny and moving drama. Ocean With David Attenborough (Disney+ and cinemas) David Attenborough stands at the coast in Southern England. (Credit: Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios/Keith Scholey) Ocean With David Attenborough Now in his 100th year, the passionate documentarian brings one of his most ambitious projects to date. Ocean is a rallying cry for action, a story of righteous anger in some of its details, but primarily a tale of hope in the power of nature. It features some of the most dramatic, groundbreaking - and at times shocking - ocean footage ever brought to the screen. Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story (Apple TV, Now, Sky Store) From the moment The Country Girls was published in 1960, Irish writer Edna O'Brien was on a potential collision course with the powers that be, both socially and at the pulpit. Filmmaker Sinéad O'Shea (Pray For Our Sinners) does a fine job of telling O'Brien's story, through context and legacy, in a richly detailed documentary using archive footage. It includes narration from Killarney actress Jessie Buckley, and moving contributions from O'Brien herself in the months before her passing. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (rental platforms including Apple TV, Sky Store) Renée Zellweger and Leo Woodall in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025) Bridget Jones is nudging towards middle age, her heart shattered by grief, but still Bridget, in a tender and touching fourth outing for Renée Zellweger. A lively summer beckons as Bridget aims to navigate the challenge of moving through life while treasuring Mark Darcy's memory with their young children, in a series that continues to deliver. Presence (various rental platforms) From Traffic to Magic Mike and Contagion, maverick US filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has always loved to mix up his genres. With Presence, he takes the haunted house story we all think we know and subverts it in what is a clever ghost story, with shocking elements. Audiences see the movie from the perspective of the ghost, in which we see what the spirit is seeing, through a series of dramatic events in a family home. Flow (MUBI and rental platforms) The winner of Best Animated Feature at this year's Oscars, this stunning film, which unfolds without the use of dialogue - is on the art-house side of storytelling, but its story is universal. It follows the adventures of a brave and endearing cat as it fights for survival following a devastating flood that has destroyed its home. I'm Still Here (IFI@Home, Apple TV) I'm Still Here (clockwise from top left): Selton Mello, Fernanda Torres, Cora Mora and Guilherme Silveira in I'm Still Here. Photograph: Alile Onawale The Brazilian film that drew worldwide audiences - including in Ireland - is a powerful return for one of its finest filmmakers, Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries). Based on true events, it's told through the eyes of Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), who lives with politician husband Rubens and their family in 1970s Rio de Janeiro. As Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship, they experience a violent act that will forever change their lives. Black Bag (various rental platforms) Steven Soderbergh's highly entertaining spy drama - his second film this year following the ghostly Presence - brings marriage into espionage. Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender play married intelligence agents forced to employ their skills when one of them is suspected of betrayal. A Complete Unknown (Disney+ and rental platforms) Music takes centre stage in director James Mangold's (Walk the Line) thoughtful portrait of an artist as a young Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) looks at his musical legacy in a movie that avoids the usual biopic cliches. It focuses on the young Robert Zimmerman's move to New York - and his determination to follow his own path amid the pressures that fame brings. Chalamet's Dylan, moody, enigmatic and difficult to pin down, feel true to the musician himself and got the actor an Oscar nomination. The Salt Path (cinemas) Gillian Anderson in The Salt Path Gillian Anderson and her co-star Jason Issacs bring Raynor Winn's much-loved novel to the screen in the story of how a couple bond with nature and each other as they face some of the worst times in their marriage. Shaken by financial and personal difficulties, they embark upon The Salt Path, a 630-mile trek along England's beautiful but challenging Cornish, Devon and Dorset countryside. Four Mothers (Apple TV) Irish filmmaker Darren Thornton's (A Date for Mad Mary) charming, funny and bittersweet drama centres on Edward, played by Scottish actor James McArdle, nailing an Irish accent. An aspiring novelist and gay man who's juggling his literary aspirations with the challenges of caring for his elderly mother (Fionnuala Flanagan), having a stroke has increased her needs but not thwarted her droll sense of humour. When her mother's peers come to stay, the stage is set for a memorable and revealing weekend. For the Kids Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix) Aardman's latest slice of genius comes to Netflix this week following its BBC debut at Christmas. A smart gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own features in this lively and witty animation, regarded as a triumphant return from the much-loved characters created by the legendary British animation studios. Lilo & Stitch (cinemas) A young Hawaiian girl adopts a mischievous alien in Disney's familiar but very likeable live-action take on the 2002 animated smash. The onscreen creation of Stitch is colourful and convincing and as his human best pal, newcomer Maia Kealoha is cuteness personified in the leading role. The story centres around a young girl who adopts a 'dog' she names Stitch. In reality, he's a bold extraterrestrial far from home and seeking new adventures. There's a tenderness, too, in the bond between the girl and the alien and between two sisters navigating huge life changes. Elio (cinemas) Inspired by the real-life Voyager which sent messages from the world into outer space, a young space-obsessed boy starts sending messages of his own - putting him on the radar of a group of aliens seeking human interaction. Elio is beamed up into the world of The Communiverse - a group of alien planets geared towards keeping peace and supporting each other. But there's a baddie to contend with in the latest and likeable from the animation giants at Pixar.
Vancouver Sun
08-06-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
'It just makes so much sense:' UBC economics expert continues push for high seas 'bank' to protect fish, ahead of UN conference
We set aside money in the bank for retirement or for education, but what about saving up for food security in a fish bank? The idea is for countries to agree to stop commercial fishing in international waters so that dwindling fish populations can renew for future generations — what experts call a high seas bank. UBC economics professor and author Rashid Sumaila, who published a study on the fish bank concept a decade ago, will address the third United Nations ocean conference in France next week. Sumaila, who has a PhD in economics and is the joint winner of the 2023 Tyler Prize for environmental achievement, spoke to Postmedia about the idea on Friday, ahead of World Oceans Day Sunday. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. World Oceans Day is an annual global event held on June 8 to recognize the role oceans play in sustaining life and to raise awareness of ocean conservation. It has been officially recognized by the United Nations since 2008. 'It just makes so much sense to use international waters as the world's fish bank,' he said, adding when fish populations thrive without being harvested, they can seed surrounding fisheries. 'It's like when you save your money, and then when you need it, it is there, right? That's the whole idea.' He noted that less than one and a half per cent of the fish that are caught worldwide stay in the high seas all of their life. A high seas bank is an area of the ocean that is 200 nautical miles away from the coast of any country. 'If we can leave the high seas, when the tunas come, for example, they get a break. They do well. And usually animals will move when there's density.' Sumaila said this is particularly important where food security is a problem that can lead to forced migration, adding it's also much more expensive to catch fish in the high seas. At this time, eight countries catch about 80 per cent of all the fish taken from the high seas, according to Sumaila, including China, Korea, Japan and Spain. Bottom trawling the ocean floor has been well documented as contributing to biodiversity loss. This is where large weighted nets are dragged across the ocean floor, 'clear-cutting a swath of habitat in their wake,' according to Oceana , a U.S. ocean conservation organization. This still legal practice will be highlighted in a new documentary airing this weekend called 'Ocean With David Attenborough.' Sumaila said not only does a fish bank ensure future generations have food to eat but it would protect ocean biodiversity, which is crucial in the fight to limit global warming. Loss of marine biodiversity weakens the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide and act as a carbon sink, he added. Sumaila first introduced fish banks in a 2015 research paper , which found that spillover of fish stocks from protected international waters would boost coastal catches by 18 per cent. Since then, there have been some global efforts to protect certain areas but not all of the high seas. Last year, the federal government announced the second Canadian-led high seas mission to detect and deter unregulated fishing in the North Pacific to protect salmon stocks. In 2018, Canada signed an international agreement to prevent unregulated commercial fishing in the high seas of the central Arctic Ocean, along with China, Japan, Russia, Iceland, Norway, South Korea, the European Union, the U.S. and Denmark. Other topics Sumaila will be speaking about at the global ocean summit include the adverse effects of deepsea mining and plastics, which break down into microplastics in the oceans and are entering the food chain at alarming rates. A separate UBC-involved expedition to the Antarctic a couple of years ago, for example, found microplastics — tiny plastic particles less than five millimetres in length — in every water sample collected. ticrawford@
The Advertiser
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
David Attenborough's Ocean a wake-up call from the sea
An ominous chain unspools through the water. Then comes chaos. A churning cloud of mud erupts as a net ploughs the sea floor, wrenching rays, fish and a squid from their home in a violent swirl of destruction. This is industrial bottom trawling. It's not CGI. It's real. And it's legal. Ocean With David Attenborough is a brutal reminder of how little we see and how much is at stake. The film is a sweeping celebration of marine life and a stark expose of the forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. The British naturalist and broadcaster, now 99, anchors the film with a deeply personal reflection: "After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on earth is not on land, but at sea." The film traces Attenborough's lifetime - an era of unprecedented ocean discovery - through the lush beauty of coral reefs, kelp forests and deep-sea wanderers, captured in breathtaking, revelatory ways. But this is not the Attenborough film we grew up with. As the environment unravels, so too has the tone of his storytelling. Ocean is more urgent, more unflinching. Never-before-seen footage of mass coral bleaching, dwindling fish stocks and industrial-scale exploitation reveals just how vulnerable the sea has become. The film's power lies not only in what it shows, but in how rarely such destruction is witnessed. "I think we've got to the point where we've changed so much of the natural world that it's almost remiss if you don't show it," co-director Colin Butfield said. "Nobody's ever professionally filmed bottom trawling before. And yet it's happening practically everywhere." The practice is not only legal, he adds, but often subsidised. "For too long, everything in the ocean has been invisible," Butfield said. "Most people picture fishing as small boats heading out from a local harbour. They're not picturing factories at sea scraping the seabed." In one harrowing scene, mounds of unwanted catch are dumped back into the sea already dead. About nine million tonnes of marine life are caught and discarded each year as bycatch. In some bottom trawl fisheries, discards make up more than half the haul. Still, Ocean is no eulogy. Its final act offers a stirring glimpse of what recovery can look like: kelp forests rebounding under protection, vast marine reserves teeming with life and the world's largest albatross colony thriving in Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These aren't fantasies - they're evidence of what the ocean can become again, if given the chance. Timed to World Oceans Day and the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, the film arrives amid a growing global push to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 - a goal endorsed by more than 190 countries. But today, just 2.7 per cent of the ocean is effectively protected from harmful industrial activity. The film's message is clear: The laws of today are failing the seas. So-called "protected" areas often aren't. And banning destructive practices such as bottom trawling is not just feasible - it's imperative. As always, Attenborough is a voice of moral clarity. "This could be the moment of change," he says. Ocean gives us the reason to believe - and the evidence to demand - that it must be. Ocean screens on National Geographic in the US and streams globally on Disney+ and Hulu from Sunday. An ominous chain unspools through the water. Then comes chaos. A churning cloud of mud erupts as a net ploughs the sea floor, wrenching rays, fish and a squid from their home in a violent swirl of destruction. This is industrial bottom trawling. It's not CGI. It's real. And it's legal. Ocean With David Attenborough is a brutal reminder of how little we see and how much is at stake. The film is a sweeping celebration of marine life and a stark expose of the forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. The British naturalist and broadcaster, now 99, anchors the film with a deeply personal reflection: "After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on earth is not on land, but at sea." The film traces Attenborough's lifetime - an era of unprecedented ocean discovery - through the lush beauty of coral reefs, kelp forests and deep-sea wanderers, captured in breathtaking, revelatory ways. But this is not the Attenborough film we grew up with. As the environment unravels, so too has the tone of his storytelling. Ocean is more urgent, more unflinching. Never-before-seen footage of mass coral bleaching, dwindling fish stocks and industrial-scale exploitation reveals just how vulnerable the sea has become. The film's power lies not only in what it shows, but in how rarely such destruction is witnessed. "I think we've got to the point where we've changed so much of the natural world that it's almost remiss if you don't show it," co-director Colin Butfield said. "Nobody's ever professionally filmed bottom trawling before. And yet it's happening practically everywhere." The practice is not only legal, he adds, but often subsidised. "For too long, everything in the ocean has been invisible," Butfield said. "Most people picture fishing as small boats heading out from a local harbour. They're not picturing factories at sea scraping the seabed." In one harrowing scene, mounds of unwanted catch are dumped back into the sea already dead. About nine million tonnes of marine life are caught and discarded each year as bycatch. In some bottom trawl fisheries, discards make up more than half the haul. Still, Ocean is no eulogy. Its final act offers a stirring glimpse of what recovery can look like: kelp forests rebounding under protection, vast marine reserves teeming with life and the world's largest albatross colony thriving in Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These aren't fantasies - they're evidence of what the ocean can become again, if given the chance. Timed to World Oceans Day and the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, the film arrives amid a growing global push to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 - a goal endorsed by more than 190 countries. But today, just 2.7 per cent of the ocean is effectively protected from harmful industrial activity. The film's message is clear: The laws of today are failing the seas. So-called "protected" areas often aren't. And banning destructive practices such as bottom trawling is not just feasible - it's imperative. As always, Attenborough is a voice of moral clarity. "This could be the moment of change," he says. Ocean gives us the reason to believe - and the evidence to demand - that it must be. Ocean screens on National Geographic in the US and streams globally on Disney+ and Hulu from Sunday. An ominous chain unspools through the water. Then comes chaos. A churning cloud of mud erupts as a net ploughs the sea floor, wrenching rays, fish and a squid from their home in a violent swirl of destruction. This is industrial bottom trawling. It's not CGI. It's real. And it's legal. Ocean With David Attenborough is a brutal reminder of how little we see and how much is at stake. The film is a sweeping celebration of marine life and a stark expose of the forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. The British naturalist and broadcaster, now 99, anchors the film with a deeply personal reflection: "After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on earth is not on land, but at sea." The film traces Attenborough's lifetime - an era of unprecedented ocean discovery - through the lush beauty of coral reefs, kelp forests and deep-sea wanderers, captured in breathtaking, revelatory ways. But this is not the Attenborough film we grew up with. As the environment unravels, so too has the tone of his storytelling. Ocean is more urgent, more unflinching. Never-before-seen footage of mass coral bleaching, dwindling fish stocks and industrial-scale exploitation reveals just how vulnerable the sea has become. The film's power lies not only in what it shows, but in how rarely such destruction is witnessed. "I think we've got to the point where we've changed so much of the natural world that it's almost remiss if you don't show it," co-director Colin Butfield said. "Nobody's ever professionally filmed bottom trawling before. And yet it's happening practically everywhere." The practice is not only legal, he adds, but often subsidised. "For too long, everything in the ocean has been invisible," Butfield said. "Most people picture fishing as small boats heading out from a local harbour. They're not picturing factories at sea scraping the seabed." In one harrowing scene, mounds of unwanted catch are dumped back into the sea already dead. About nine million tonnes of marine life are caught and discarded each year as bycatch. In some bottom trawl fisheries, discards make up more than half the haul. Still, Ocean is no eulogy. Its final act offers a stirring glimpse of what recovery can look like: kelp forests rebounding under protection, vast marine reserves teeming with life and the world's largest albatross colony thriving in Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These aren't fantasies - they're evidence of what the ocean can become again, if given the chance. Timed to World Oceans Day and the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, the film arrives amid a growing global push to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 - a goal endorsed by more than 190 countries. But today, just 2.7 per cent of the ocean is effectively protected from harmful industrial activity. The film's message is clear: The laws of today are failing the seas. So-called "protected" areas often aren't. And banning destructive practices such as bottom trawling is not just feasible - it's imperative. As always, Attenborough is a voice of moral clarity. "This could be the moment of change," he says. Ocean gives us the reason to believe - and the evidence to demand - that it must be. Ocean screens on National Geographic in the US and streams globally on Disney+ and Hulu from Sunday. An ominous chain unspools through the water. Then comes chaos. A churning cloud of mud erupts as a net ploughs the sea floor, wrenching rays, fish and a squid from their home in a violent swirl of destruction. This is industrial bottom trawling. It's not CGI. It's real. And it's legal. Ocean With David Attenborough is a brutal reminder of how little we see and how much is at stake. The film is a sweeping celebration of marine life and a stark expose of the forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. The British naturalist and broadcaster, now 99, anchors the film with a deeply personal reflection: "After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on earth is not on land, but at sea." The film traces Attenborough's lifetime - an era of unprecedented ocean discovery - through the lush beauty of coral reefs, kelp forests and deep-sea wanderers, captured in breathtaking, revelatory ways. But this is not the Attenborough film we grew up with. As the environment unravels, so too has the tone of his storytelling. Ocean is more urgent, more unflinching. Never-before-seen footage of mass coral bleaching, dwindling fish stocks and industrial-scale exploitation reveals just how vulnerable the sea has become. The film's power lies not only in what it shows, but in how rarely such destruction is witnessed. "I think we've got to the point where we've changed so much of the natural world that it's almost remiss if you don't show it," co-director Colin Butfield said. "Nobody's ever professionally filmed bottom trawling before. And yet it's happening practically everywhere." The practice is not only legal, he adds, but often subsidised. "For too long, everything in the ocean has been invisible," Butfield said. "Most people picture fishing as small boats heading out from a local harbour. They're not picturing factories at sea scraping the seabed." In one harrowing scene, mounds of unwanted catch are dumped back into the sea already dead. About nine million tonnes of marine life are caught and discarded each year as bycatch. In some bottom trawl fisheries, discards make up more than half the haul. Still, Ocean is no eulogy. Its final act offers a stirring glimpse of what recovery can look like: kelp forests rebounding under protection, vast marine reserves teeming with life and the world's largest albatross colony thriving in Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These aren't fantasies - they're evidence of what the ocean can become again, if given the chance. Timed to World Oceans Day and the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, the film arrives amid a growing global push to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 - a goal endorsed by more than 190 countries. But today, just 2.7 per cent of the ocean is effectively protected from harmful industrial activity. The film's message is clear: The laws of today are failing the seas. So-called "protected" areas often aren't. And banning destructive practices such as bottom trawling is not just feasible - it's imperative. As always, Attenborough is a voice of moral clarity. "This could be the moment of change," he says. Ocean gives us the reason to believe - and the evidence to demand - that it must be. Ocean screens on National Geographic in the US and streams globally on Disney+ and Hulu from Sunday.
News18
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
David Attenborough's 'Ocean' is a brutal, beautiful wakeup call from sea
Last Updated: Nice (France), Jun 7 (AP) An ominous chain unspools through the water. Then comes chaos. A churning cloud of mud erupts as a net plows the seafloor, wrenching rays, fish and a squid from their home in a violent swirl of destruction. This is industrial bottom trawling. It's not CGI. It's real. And it's legal. 'Ocean With David Attenborough" is a brutal reminder of how little we see and how much is at stake. The film is both a sweeping celebration of marine life and a stark exposé of the forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. The British naturalist and broadcaster, now 99, anchors the film with a deeply personal reflection: 'After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea." The film traces Attenborough's lifetime — an era of unprecedented ocean discovery — through the lush beauty of coral reefs, kelp forests and deep-sea wanderers, captured in breathtaking, revelatory ways. But this is not the Attenborough film we grew up with. As the environment unravels, so too has the tone of his storytelling. 'Ocean" is more urgent, more unflinching. Never-before-seen footage of mass coral bleaching, dwindling fish stocks and industrial-scale exploitation reveals just how vulnerable the sea has become. The film's power lies not only in what it shows, but in how rarely such destruction is witnessed. 'I think we've got to the point where we've changed so much of the natural world that it's almost remiss if you don't show it," co-director Colin Butfield said. 'Nobody's ever professionally filmed bottom trawling before. And yet it's happening practically everywhere." The practice is not only legal, he adds, but often subsidized. 'For too long, everything in the ocean has been invisible," Butfield said. 'Most people picture fishing as small boats heading out from a local harbour. They're not picturing factories at sea scraping the seabed." In one harrowing scene, mounds of unwanted catch are dumped back into the sea already dead. About 10 million tons (9 million metrics tonnes) of marine life are caught and discarded each year as bycatch. In some bottom trawl fisheries, discards make up more than half the haul. Still, 'Ocean" is no eulogy. Its final act offers a stirring glimpse of what recovery can look like: kelp forests rebounding under protection, vast marine reserves teeming with life and the world's largest albatross colony thriving in Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These aren't fantasies; they're evidence of what the ocean can become again, if given the chance. Timed to World Oceans Day and the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, the film arrives amid a growing global push to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 — a goal endorsed by more than 190 countries. But today, just 2.7 per cent of the ocean is effectively protected from harmful industrial activity. The film's message is clear: The laws of today are failing the seas. So-called 'protected" areas often aren't. And banning destructive practices like bottom trawling is not just feasible — it's imperative. As always, Attenborough is a voice of moral clarity. 'This could be the moment of change," he says. 'Ocean" gives us the reason to believe — and the evidence to demand — that it must be. 'Ocean" premieres Saturday on National Geographic in the U.S. and streams globally on Disney+ and Hulu beginning Sunday. (AP) RD RD First Published: June 07, 2025, 12:15 IST
Perth Now
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
David Attenborough's Ocean a wake-up call from the sea
An ominous chain unspools through the water. Then comes chaos. A churning cloud of mud erupts as a net ploughs the sea floor, wrenching rays, fish and a squid from their home in a violent swirl of destruction. This is industrial bottom trawling. It's not CGI. It's real. And it's legal. Ocean With David Attenborough is a brutal reminder of how little we see and how much is at stake. The film is a sweeping celebration of marine life and a stark expose of the forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. The British naturalist and broadcaster, now 99, anchors the film with a deeply personal reflection: "After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on earth is not on land, but at sea." The film traces Attenborough's lifetime - an era of unprecedented ocean discovery - through the lush beauty of coral reefs, kelp forests and deep-sea wanderers, captured in breathtaking, revelatory ways. But this is not the Attenborough film we grew up with. As the environment unravels, so too has the tone of his storytelling. Ocean is more urgent, more unflinching. Never-before-seen footage of mass coral bleaching, dwindling fish stocks and industrial-scale exploitation reveals just how vulnerable the sea has become. The film's power lies not only in what it shows, but in how rarely such destruction is witnessed. "I think we've got to the point where we've changed so much of the natural world that it's almost remiss if you don't show it," co-director Colin Butfield said. "Nobody's ever professionally filmed bottom trawling before. And yet it's happening practically everywhere." The practice is not only legal, he adds, but often subsidised. "For too long, everything in the ocean has been invisible," Butfield said. "Most people picture fishing as small boats heading out from a local harbour. They're not picturing factories at sea scraping the seabed." In one harrowing scene, mounds of unwanted catch are dumped back into the sea already dead. About nine million tonnes of marine life are caught and discarded each year as bycatch. In some bottom trawl fisheries, discards make up more than half the haul. Still, Ocean is no eulogy. Its final act offers a stirring glimpse of what recovery can look like: kelp forests rebounding under protection, vast marine reserves teeming with life and the world's largest albatross colony thriving in Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These aren't fantasies - they're evidence of what the ocean can become again, if given the chance. Timed to World Oceans Day and the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, the film arrives amid a growing global push to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 - a goal endorsed by more than 190 countries. But today, just 2.7 per cent of the ocean is effectively protected from harmful industrial activity. The film's message is clear: The laws of today are failing the seas. So-called "protected" areas often aren't. And banning destructive practices such as bottom trawling is not just feasible - it's imperative. As always, Attenborough is a voice of moral clarity. "This could be the moment of change," he says. Ocean gives us the reason to believe - and the evidence to demand - that it must be. Ocean screens on National Geographic in the US and streams globally on Disney+ and Hulu from Sunday.
