We had to fight for several years for this documentary to be broadcast on a major channel. The journalist Pierre Nyga had the courage to show, for planet e on ZDF, the current status of sharks in Europe. A topic that has always preoccupied us, but which very rarely finds its way into the attention of the general public.
Extensive research, numerous background discussions, and also ethical considerations accompanied our work with Pierre Nyga and the marine biologist Lukas Müller: What can be shown and what cannot? What is too harsh and what is acceptable? What conveys the message, and what merely repels the viewer, causing them to switch off?
The result is a truly brave documentary about the real decline of sharks in Europe. The sell-out of the Atlantic is progressing at a rapid pace, in the most brutal manner. The circumstances have been known for years, even occupying the European Commission, but have been silenced in everyday life for years: This is how sharks die, well over 100 million globally every year. Ethically completely unjustifiable, yet industrially organised under the guise of job creation, with profit margins comparable to the illegal drug trade.
The half-hour documentary is not suitable for children, but is highly recommended for adults. It opens eyes (and, for those with a decent ethical stance, hearts as well).
On the ZDF Mediathek: Blutige Flossen - das stille Sterben der Haie
