Would you believe since the year 2000, approximately two billion sharks have been taken out of the water? While sharks have been on our planet for four-hundred and fifty million years and survived four extinction level events, their luck is about to run out unless people stop killing them and work together to save these incredibly vital creatures.
What you might not realize about sharks is they are an indicator for ocean health. Not only are they the apex predator helping to remove the weak and the sick, they help keep seagrass beds and coral reefs healthy. If you speak with any scientist, they will tell you if sharks are removed from the equation the oceans will suffer unpredictable and devastating consequences. Simply put: we do not want to experience a world without sharks.
To help raise awareness about what is going on with sharks all around the world and how many are being killed just for their fin, I spoke to filmmaker Eli Roth about his new fantastic and extremely important documentary, Fin, which started streaming on discovery+ today.
During the interview, Roth talked about what humans are doing to shark populations around the world, how we need to educate more people on why saving sharks is a good thing, why transitioning to dive tourism can save sharks, why the fishing industry loves pushing the message that sharks can be dangerous even when they aren’t, how shark meat and eating fin’s is actually terrible for you because it’s loaded with mercury and toxic chemicals, the advice Leonardo DiCaprio told him about not going too far with the footage, what you can do to make a difference, and more.
Fin received support from photographer Michael Muller and organizations such as Oceana, Sea Shepherd, and Wild Aid. DiCaprio executive produced the film along with actor, producer and shark activist Nina Dobrev and President of Lionsgate Nonfiction Television and Pilgrim CEO and Chair Craig Piligian.
Finally, I know a lot of you are wondering what can I do to help make a difference. The first thing would be to visit finthemovie.com. On the site you can easily get the info to your local representative and copy and paste a letter to help pass the shark fin elimination act. It will take just a few minutes and it’s very easy. Of course, the site also links many organizations that are working tirelessly to raise awareness and save the sharks.
Check out my conversation with Eli Roth in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about. While I know you have a lot of choices on what to watch, I strongly recommend watching Fin so you can learn more about what is going on and why sharks are so important to our planet.
Eli Roth:
- Why he’s in Italy.
- Why it is tough to get people to care about sharks.
- Why shark meat and fins are terrible for you.
- Why sharks don’t have a chance unless more people get involved to help them.
- Does he think the movie Jaws damaged the perception of sharks for people around the world?
- How the fishing industry loves pushing the message that sharks can be dangerous.
- How since the year 2000 approximately two billion sharks have been taken out of the water.
- How sharks keep the oceans clean.
- How we need to educate more people on why saving sharks is a good thing.
- Why transitioning to dive tourism can save sharks.
- Talks about what everyone can easily do to help make a difference.
- How you can ask places and say please go shark free.
- Did he have any footage that he didn’t include because it was too tough to watch?
- The advice Leonardo DiCaprio told him about not going too far with the footage.
- How we need to break traditions that should have ended a long time ago.