I may need to stop seeing so many environmental films.

I’m drawn to environmental documentaries. It’s a subject that interests me. But I’m getting a little depressed. Is it just me or are we trying to destroy the planet as fast as possible? These movies are inspiring me to change my behavior. Let’s review. Big River Man means I can no longer eat fast food burgers because we’re destroying the Amazon rain forest to satiate our never-ending need for beef. The Cove means I can't support water parks or other resort destinations that keep captive dolphins. And now with End of the Line, I’ll need to be more responsible in my consumption of seafood.

This movie from director Rupert Murray is meticulously researched. And the filmmakers traveled the world to show exactly what’s happening. What is happening? Thanks to greed (and massive improvements in commercial fishing technology), we humans have raped the oceans to the point where many fish populations have collapsed or are in the process of collapse. Does that mean we’ve stopped fishing these populations? Of course not. We just develop ever more powerful technologies to make sure we can catch every last damn fish.

This movie does offer some hope including a shout out to Alaska salmon fisheries. Alaska carefully controls its salmon industry, ensuring a reasonable harvest each and every year. And that means it’s OK to eat wild Alaskan salmon. It’s not OK to eat farmed salmon as it takes something like 15 pounds of smaller ocean fish to create one pound of farmed salmon.

The filmmakers distributed handing pocket guides to make it easier to eat seafood responsibly. If you would like to be more responsible in the way you consume seafood, you can download the pocket guide here.