At 100, David Attenborough remains fascinated by the natural world, and he shares that enthusiasm with viewers in a National Geographic documentary. «"Ocean with David Attenborough", contending for an Emmy Award.
«"This is life at its most mesmerizing," he says of the planet's oceans. Having reached this stage of his exploration, he remarks, "I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not the land.".
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The film explores the wonders of the marine environment and the alarming threats to the oceans. Footage of industrial fishing methods shows how the ocean floor is brutally scoured in search of a few commercial species, with much of the "catch" destroyed and discarded.
«"Bottom trawling is a practice that's been around for centuries, but it's now become so industrial-scale that it's having a huge, huge impact on our ocean," the director said. film "Ocean"« Keith Scholey speaking at the Deadline Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted event. "And what's amazing is, no one knows it's happening. It's as mundane as plowing a field... and yet people had never seen it on film before. So I think it was a real revelation in the film that this is what industrial fishing actually looks like.".
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The film highlights some positive trends, such as the designation of ocean areas as no-fish zones to allow overfished species to recover. This is happening in the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California.
«"In five years, you see changes; in ten years, massive changes," confirmed Sholey. "A remarkable phenomenon called the 'spillover effect' occurs in the protected area: many large animals, be they crayfish or fish, lay huge numbers of eggs, produce huge numbers of young, which then migrate out into the ocean beyond the protected area. This restores the fisheries industry. Protecting the marine environment is a win-win situation for everyone.".
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Attenborough is a three-time Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Narrator. Sir David's melodic voice provides the voices the film "Ocean"« , and also appears in the frame throughout the film.
«"He was 98 years old for almost all the scenes we shot in this film," Sholey said. "I was at an event yesterday and saw him, and he was still full of energy.".
A video recording of the discussion will be available on Monday.
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