Dispatches From the Outlaw Ocean Project – The Last Untamed Frontier

Type: Docu-series (episode 6: “The fish we turn into dust”)

Director: Ian Urbina

Lead Actor: Ian Urbina

Distribution year: 2023

Language: English

“Dispatches from The Outlaw Ocean: The Last Untamed Frontier“ is a ten-episode docu-film conceived and hosted by journalist Ian Urbina and produced by The Outlaw Ocean Project, a nonprofit organization founded by the author himself. The series focuses on the most hidden areas and illegal aspects of the oceans. It also delves into crucial issues such as illegal fishing, modern slavery, marine pollution, and many other crimes committed on the high seas, especially in areas without rules or where laws are ignored.

The sixth episode, titled The Fish We Turn To Dust, focuses specifically on the Gambian coast. Indeed, in this West African country, traditional fishing is disappearing due to theexpansion of fishmeal factories. This production is done by grinding and drying whole fish to feed aquaculture and intensive farming abroad. As a result, the delicate balance between artisanal fisheries and global industry is breaking down.

Through investigative data, on-the-spot footage and direct testimony, Ian Urbina exposes the contradictions of a system that, while hiding behind ecological intentions, is exacerbating the crisis in the oceans. In fact, this industry contributes to the decline of local fish stocks, causes water pollution and threatens the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Urbina’sinvestigations show how about one-fifth of the fish caught is processed into fishmeal. Thus, this practice takes food away from local markets and feeds a global industry that expands without regulation. Thus, the result is a worsening food security of fisheries-dependent populations and a serious threat to the survival of local species. Despite this, the issue often remains ignored in international debate.

However, this episode represents only part of the larger picture told by the series. The other episodes, in fact, investigate stories of unpunished murders on the high seas, cases of slavery aboard fishing vessels, illegal trafficking of toxic waste, and looting carried out by industrial fleets. Taken together, these narratives create a powerful and disturbing fresco of the dark side of the oceans. In this way, the series shows how the sea has become the scene of some of the most serious human and environmental rights violations of our time.