Napa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival 2008

In addition to pollution, deforestation and overpopulation, one of the greatest threats to the planet's ecology is the continuing devastation of the world's fisheries. In particular, Third World countries are faced with the almost insurmountable challenge of competing for a precious natural resource with Western countries boasting modern industrial vessels that strip the seas with alarmingly destructive efficiency. Cry Sea examines this growing crisis in the seas of Senegal.

Having emptied the European seas of fish, gigantic fishing trawlers are now targeting Africa. Unable to compete with this 'European Invasion', Senegalese fishermen are being driven out of business. Again and again, local fisherman cast their nets into the sea, only to pull them back empty and are now being forced to risk their lives going further into deeper water in search of fish, while some species have disappeared entirely. At a fish processing plant in Kayar, the scale of the industry's collapse is apparent.

Why the fishing treaties between European nations and West African nations are so unequitable, also raises the possibility of corruption at the highest government levels. It's believed that 50% of Senegal's fish are now caught by these industrial trawlers shipped to Europe. With the orcountry's population growing and a precious food resource dwindling, the chances of a gigantic human tragedy are being cast out upon the water.

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