Under the cover of night, away from prying eyes, the activity takes place. It\u2019s worth billions of dollars but the price that it comes with is tainted with reports of murder, slavery, corruption, and deception of the most evil kind. Sounds like the premise of a brand new Netflix series, but instead this is the reality of what happens in one of the world\u2019s most lucrative industries. And the secret activity worth billions of dollars? Fish.<\/p>\n\n
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is surprisingly rampant and big business. In 2019, imported IUU tainted seafood in the US was worthan estimated $2.4 billion<\/a>. According to a study by the University of British Columbia<\/a> (UBC), between 8 and 14 million metric tons of fish are caught illegally every year, and are worth an estimated USD 9 billion to USD 17 billion.<\/p>\n\n Thinking about what happens in the murky world of the fishing industry is as mysterious as trying to crack down on the culprits behind it. For documentary and filmmakers, it\u2019s a dark topic they wish to explore and expose. So if you\u2019re curious about the real sea-to-shelf story behind seafood, then read (or watch) on.<\/p>\n\n The high seas is the perfect place for illegal activity to take place. With lack of monitoring and control, the ocean is the fishing industries\u2019 oyster\u2026and that\u2019s where fishery observers come in. To prevent destructive fishing practices such as the use of illegal gear or shark finning, or track bycatch such as turtles or whales that might get caught up in fishing nets, fishery observers are often deployed onto vessels to be the eyes and ears on the ocean and help to track catches in order to preserve fish stocks.<\/p>\n\n But with this type of monitoring and surveillance, it\u2019s also one of the most dangerous jobs in the world with \u201cone or two deaths of fishery observers every year since 2015\u201d<\/a> according to the Association of Professional Observers (APO). The documentary, \u201cMurder at Sea<\/a>\u201d questions the true cost of unchecked industrial overfishing worldwide where fish catches are valuable enough to potentially murder someone for. <\/p>\n\n1) \u201cMurder at Sea\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n