Reviewed by Katrina Olsen at the Calgary International Film Festival 2013.
If you loved the film Sharkwater (Directed by Rob Stewart, USA 2006), the documentary about the poaching sharks for their fins to make shark fin soup, then you will love The Last Ocean (Directed by Peter Young, New Zealand 2012). The Last Ocean screened at CIFF’s Green Carpet Gala on Monday night. Basically: Tooth fish (aka Chilean Sea Bass) is the new Shark Fin. The whole Eco system in the Ross Sea in Antarctica is being thrown off by the over fishing of tooth fish. Tooth fish thrives in the Ross Sea (or did) because of the other plants, animals and organisms co-existing so beautifully together with their own sustainable Eco system. Then the New Zealand fishing boats came in and went hog wild fishing Tooth Fish that sells in high-end primarily big city restaurants as “Chilean Sea Bass” but is upsetting the penguins, seals, whales and pretty much everything in the Ross Sea. The only way this can be restored or at least slowed down is by taking away the demand… Which this documentary hopes to facilitate by educating people, just as Sharkwater did about Shark finning.
The Last Ocean is full of beautiful cinematography in the Antarctica and underwater in the Ross Sea. It takes the audience somewhere only scientists and researchers have gone.
I appreciate the CIFF programs documentaries on global issues, especial one that is so important living in North America, where we can become out of touch with other continents and are not even aware where our food is coming from. I would have thought Chilean Sea Bass comes from Chile…shows how much I know 
The Last Ocean is playing again this Sunday at Eau Claire Cinema click HERE to buy tickets.
Special thanks to CIFF and CalgaryMovies.com
