This past week I caught the release of Sharkwater: Extinction on Crave. It was being released there as part of Earth Day. This is the sequel to the much praised first film entitled Sharkwater, where the filmmaker was the young, Canadian Rob Stewart. In 2006, he had pointed out the remarkable shark fin industry to address the primarily Asian wish for shark fin soup. Certain countries, like Costa Rica, were allowing or turning a blind eye to these activities taking place in their waters. The resulting outcry of support galvanized a public that didn’t really know what was happening around them. Stewart began in 2016 filming the sequel, and then giving nothing away perished in a freak diving accident while using a rebreather. These inventions do help divers by taking up less oxygen and don’t have bubbles so they can get closer to fish and they can dive deeper and longer. Like many machines, if they fail they have serious consequences. Rob Stewart’s failed. He died. The half finished film was stuck in limbo but those involved chose to finish it. The result is a weak follow up to the original. The original premise of shark fin soup being the reason for all this destruction is supplemented with the idea that dog food, and other things that we eat contain shark. There is a even a test on these products to show that there are traces of shark. But it isn’t as compelling. We have no idea of the scale. Heaven knows what’s in a hot dog. Yet tell people at a baseball game to refrain from eating and it will fall on deaf ears. Still in the end the number of sharks killed are staggering. Millions and millions, and then there are those who kill them for “sport”. The bigger, the better of course. I really feel as though to make it a fair fight, the shark should be in the water with the potential killer there armed with what he could carry. Then bring it on. Who is the apex predator now? We’d find out. Having opposing thumbs and being able to utilize tools shouldn’t give us the right to wipe out a creature who has lasted millions of years before we ever arrived. And that really is the message, and it’s one the bears repeating. So Rob Stewart, although you have move on too early, your message was delivered. Maybe people can wake up again.
A GOT thought or two, for episode 3.
Mondays With Robbie 