Don't fear sharks but fear for them!

Everyone needs to see this masterpiece by Eli!

What Eli Roth (director) has done with this documentary is nothing short of laudable. It is certainly one of the most praise-worthy nature specials you will see in 2021, maybe even for the next few years.

All the professionals who featured in this documentary gave valid points on the state of things in the realms of fishing, shark significance, and ocean health. The crew who helped create this video-masterpiece deserves praise for their attention to detail and depth.

Some of what I saw in this docu reminded me of that other superb special "Seaspiracy" (on Netflix). It was also nice to see 'Sea Shepherd' being featured in "Fin" - they do such excellent work 24-7, every day.

Providing crisp and irrefutable proof of the over-commercialized and heavily greed-oriented business of shark fishing, this docu shed light on the short-term near-sightedness that has long degraded the ocean and also affected the sub-species that sharks (and other apex predators) keep in check.

The Science is quite clear on how if the oceanic foodchain is interrupted - as a direct result of human over-fishing and bycatch-wastage as portrayed in this documentary - it eventually affects entire ocean currents and by extension the climate itself, resulting in more unnatural global warming, which in turn inspires 'tipping point' level climate-intense events.

Everything is connected, including the decisions you as a person make after watching the profound, heart-breaking, highly informative, and hard-earned footage in Discovery+ "Fin" 2021. This docu makes you 'know thy enemy', who in this case does not include 'the doctors and police of the sea', i.e., sharks.

The real flesh-eating monsters are the people who demand/supply hundreds of thousands of aquatic lives while only consuming small portions, like shark fins, while flinging the rest of the still-breathing fish into a watery grave.

Eli Roth is known for his work in the horror entertainment genre. I personally feel "Fin" is his scariest work to date, only this one is thoroughly credible and all real.

Google 'shark fin soup alternatives' and you will get so many options to choose from that give you exactly the same taste and with all the same nutritional value without resorting to killing these magnificent creatures that are responsible for keeping entire oceans in balance. Below are three sites (a mere three out of so many available) that contain shockingly simple ideas to inspire you to say no to shark fin soup. Because, guess what, there are better alternatives, seriously.

Oceana (USA) Dutch Shark Society (Denmark) Bride And Breakfast (Hong Kong)

You can do without the soup, but the shark can't do without its fin. There is no such thing as 'sustainable shark fisheries'. These creatures are apex predators that have not evolved to populate as frequently as some people might have you believe.

This documentary also clearly reveals the heavy chemical processing and disgusting 'drying' locales that are part of the 'fin to plate' phase. Once you know the truth, there really is no going back.

"Fin" was not just about shark fins but also several other key factors pertaining to sundry shark by-products. In fact, studies are starting to show shark meat and shark fins are not all that healthy to begin with, and that they contain high levels of natural neurotoxins that are obviously harmful to humans, not to forget mercury that has made its way to the ocean from our land-based fossil-fuel generator-plants (among other sources).

The value of this revealing and brilliant documentary lay in how neatly and eloquently Eli and other professionals covered the notion of 'good legislation sorely needed' and other steps, including tourism, to help keep sharks alive and swimming and, by extension, ensure our own eco-future, say, fifty to hundred years from now.

I was bewildered, outraged, saddened, and surprised to learn that my own country, India, ranks among the top trade hubs for shark-related products. There's apparently a good reason why we have few 'great' (large and dangerous to humans) sharks in the Bay of Bengal - particularly off the Tamil Nadu coast - and the reasons are not natural. The species we do have are threatened or vulnerable, adding to the (fishing regulation) crisis that is apparently going unnoticed in and around India. Also, the sheer hypocrisy of the United Nations never ceases to surprise.

I stopped eating seafood after watching this docu, in fact I stopped after watching "Seaspiracy". I realize one person can't really make a dent in this dark system, but it was honestly such a soul-satisfying feeling to have made this decision. There is no need to give up on meat altogether, just seek alternatives or less cruel sources for them. "When the buying stops, the killing will too." There is a culture of deception when it comes to selling the meat and fins of sharks under 'alternative' names. Multiple myths, rumours, and fabrications have been busted in this outstanding documentary that is an absolute must-watch. One person at a time making one good decision at a time can add up to a grand change that will force cruelty out of the market, keep it off our plates, and away from our bodies.

We are part of the System, we might as well wake up and yell foul. Radical conservation efforts and superior technology are already taking the fight to those implicit in illegal fishing (and finning) activities. We can certainly choose to be part of that System. Here are the Instagram handles for the ones doing good:

Oceana WildAid SeaShepherd Eli Roth

Good energies and good luck to them (and us) all.

The people who made this film, their country has killed millions of women and children in foreign conquests. Yet in this film they stand beside some shark fins drying beside the road, crying, trying to garner some sympathy. Truly pathetic. Get your priorities right.