Documentary Maker Takes Film to High-Powered Ross Sea Talks

Documentary Maker Takes Film to High-Powered Ross Sea Talks in Hobart

Hobart, 26 October 2012 - New Zealand filmmaker Peter Young has taken his feature documentary The Last Ocean to Hobart, Australia where it will be shown at two sold-out private screenings this weekend. The film will be shown at a critical time as delegates meet at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources summit (CCAMLR) where they will decide the fate of Ross Sea protection.

“By showing my film here while the CCAMLR meeting is on, I am hoping to inspire the 25 nations participating to protect the Ross Sea,” Young said. “Most of the world’s oceans have been impacted by human activity but in the Ross Sea we have a chance to do something special – we can fish it – or we can protect it and gift this unique corner of the world to future generations.”

Completed in July 2012, the documentary chronicles the race to protect the Ross Sea, which is regarded as the most intact marine ecosystem on Earth, before it is devastated by commercial fishing. The film has recently toured as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival, where it sold out theatres and received rave reviews across the country.

The Last Ocean advocates for full protection of the Ross Sea, so that the delicate balance of the most pristine oceanic ecosystem on Earth is left intact for future generations.

This year at CCAMLR a series of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are currently being considered, with the aim of protecting large areas of the seas around Antarctica. The US and NZ delegations are both presenting separate proposals for the Ross Sea, having been unable to agree on a joint proposal before the meeting.

In the documentary Young travels the world to look at how the Ross Sea commercial fishery is managed and the impacts it is likely to have.

While the land of Antarctica is protected under a global treaty signed more than 50 years ago, the oceans allow for the rational use of a living resource. In 1996, the Government encouraged a major New Zealand fishing company to explore the Ross Sea. They found Antarctic Toothfish, a lucrative catch that is sold as Chilean Seabass in up-market restaurants around the world. As word got out, that one boat from New Zealand grew to near on 20 from a dozen different countries and they were permitted to take more than 3000 tonnes of Antarctic toothfish every year. However, the Antarctic toothfish is a top predator in the Ross Sea and Young says if we lose them and the natural balance of the last pristine marine ecosystem on Earth will be lost forever.

“The MPA discussions taking place at CCAMLR are likely to decide the fate of the Ross Sea,” Young said. “If we can’t save the Ross Sea, what can we save?”

The Last Ocean Trust is part of the Antarctic Ocean Alliance, which is made up of influential environmental organizations including WWF, Pew Environmental Group, Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition and Greenpeace.

The Last Ocean is supported by NZ on Air, the New Zealand Film Commission, Antarctic Ocean Alliance, Biotherm, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Park Road Post, Global Ocean, and Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition.

Peter Young presents The Last Ocean at State Cinema, Hobart
Friday October 26: 6.00pm
Saturday October 27: 1.30pm

Learn more, visit: www.lastocean.co.nz

View the promo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaqEWbHNQGo&feature=plcp

Peter Young’s credits include:
• Chasing Giants - On the trail of the Giant Squid, Discovery Channel, documentary
• Honouring Hillary, TVNZ, documentary
• Explorers, TVNZ, series with Peter Elliot
• Hunger for the Wild, TVNZ, three series
• Blue Planet, BBC, series
• Country Calendar, TVNZ, series
• Coasters, TVNZ, two series
• Get Fresh with Al Brown, TVNZ, series

ENDS

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