“This is an important story about [the] greed and short-sightedness that are driving one of the ocean’s most magnificent animals to extinction. But bluefin tuna have surprised us in Canada, offering us a chance to save this charismatic creature if we care enough.” David Suzuki
Bluefin is a tale of epic stakes set in “the tuna capital of the world,” North Lake, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The film explores the baffling mystery of why the normally wary bluefin tuna no longer fear humans. Local fishermen swear tuna are so starving and abundant now that they will literally eat out of people’s hands like pets. But something is not right. One thing is certain: this sudden and incredible abundance of tuna off their shores flies in the face of scientific assessments claiming endangered stocks are down by 90 percent.
With stunning cinematography, director John Hopkins documents this mystery and brings the issues into sharp focus. At the heart of this documentary lies a passionate concern by all about the fate of the giant bluefin tuna.
Inspired by docs such as The Cove, Blackfish and Sharkwater, I discovered in shooting my documentary over the course of five years that this story is really a stark allegory, one that reveals as much about us as a species as it does about the mighty bluefin tuna. While filming fishing experiences off North Lake, a remote fishing port off the eastern tip of Prince Edward Island, I encountered clashing ideas about why there has been a mysterious and remarkable resurgence of “endangered” giant bluefin off Island shores. I hope that Bluefin will bring some long-overdue understanding about the plight of these incredible creatures, struggling to rebound from global overfishing and our lust for sushi. From top predators to baitfish schools that support much of the wildlife at sea, including giant bluefin, whales and sea birds, I found a food chain here in our ocean that is precariously broken. It is clear from my experience making this film that all would be in otherwise perfect balance without human intervention. Through my documentary, made with the strong support of the NFB, I hope to shed light on these highly evolved giants and our relationship with them, so that productive harmony can be restored between us and all life in our oceans.
John Hopkins, Writer/Director
Bluefin, NFB, 2016, 52 min.
http://www.squaredeal.ca
Written & Directed by
JOHN HOPKINS
Editor
DENIS TAKACS
Story Editor
PETER STARR
Director of Photography
JOHN HOPKINS
Sound Design
ALEX SALTER
Original Music
ROBERT MARCEL LEPAGE
Slow-motion Cinematography
Christopher Ball
John Hopkins
Underwater Cinematography
Christopher Ball
Chris Harvey-Clark
Robert Guertin
Additional Camera
Christopher Ball
Richard Furlong
Dany Lavoie
Nigel Markham
Alastair Meux
Adam Perry
Sound Recordists
Georges Hannan
Aram Kouyoumdjian
Luke Leunes
Alex Salter
First Assistant Camera
William Harrington
Susan Rodgers
Additional Editing
John Hopkins
Peter Giffen
Underwater Stills
Brian Skerry
Production Manager
April Ennis
Production Assistant
Connie Littlefield
Japan Fixer
Tetsuro Shimmatsu
Researcher
Elizabeth Klinck
PEI Fisheries Consultant
Patrick O’Neill
Special Thanks
Arnold Bailey
Ben Boyce
Eve Bruce
Jaime Bruce
Troy Bruce
Walter Bruce
Leo Cheverie
Brodie Creed
Kenny Drake
Ken Fraser
Winnie Fraser Mckay
Joey Gauthier
Terry Harris
Tetsuro “Teddy” Hiraishi
Dr. Jeffrey Hutchings
Garth Jenkins
Bruce Keus
Cor Keus
Ross Keus
Mike McGeoghegan
Wayne MacAlpine
Shelly MacNeill
Olivia, Eric and Luke MacNeill
Leonard MacNeill
Lynn MacNeill
Scott Marshall
Dr. John Neilson
Greg Norton
Spencer Norton
Akira Okazaki
Mark Rose
Dr. Carl Safina
Tim Simpson
Brian Skerry
Margaret Stewart
Dr. Michael Stokesbury
Michelle Van Beusekom
Dr. Boris Worm
The filmmakers would also like to thank
Brian Baker
Mathieu Beaudin
Belinda Bethune
Bill Boyce
John Brett
Phil Corsi
Sheila Eastman
Hans Engel
Dr. Stuart Exall
Valerie Flannery
Sturla Gunnarsson
Rick Hancox
Kevin Hebert
Norma Jean Killam
Preston Llewellyn
Andrew MacCormack
Dave MacEwen
Ian MacPherson
Sebastian Manago
Bruce Matheson
Bogart Michaels
Robert Molyneaux
John Pritchard
Jo Pritchard
Greg Sears
Taylor Sears
Nobuko Ueda
Jeff Wheaton
Berni Wood
Hilda Woolnough, MFA
and
Bluewater Magazine
Bruce Brothers Charters
Canada International Tuna Cup Challenge
Dalhousie University
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Diver’s Quarters (PEI) – James Landrigan
Ecology Action Centre – Katie Schleit
Friends of Elmira
Innovation PEI
Japanese Airlines (JAL)
MacNeill’s Tuna and Deep-Sea Fishing Charters
North Lake Charters
PEI Department of Fisheries
PEI Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA)
PEI Premier’s Office
Points East Beach Motel
TAG-A-GIANT
The Safina Institute
Tightline Tours
Tourism PEI
Tsukiji Market
Vision Air Services Inc.:
Tim L’esperance – Pilot
Christopher Ball – DOP
Paul Mitchelltree – Tyler Technician
A very special thanks to
Ruth Inniss (www.pei-beach-cottage.com)
Square Deal Productions Atlantic Inc.
The people of North Lake and Kings County
Special appearances (while stocks last)
The Giant Bluefin off North Lake
Atlantic Herring and Mackerel
Pilot and Minke Whales
The Gannets
Visual Archives Courtesy Of
Bogart Michaels
Brian Skerry – National Geographic
Dr. Carl Safina
European Parliament – Audiovisual Services for Media
Japanese Airlines
John Hopkins – Square Deal Productions Atlantic Inc.
Margaret Stewart & Family
Mass Bay Guides
PEI Department of Economic Development and Tourism
Wild Logic LLC
Production Supervisor
Roz Power
Technical Coordinator
Christopher MacIntosh
Transcription
Lisa Clarke
Michelle McStay
Music Editing & Arranging
Nicolas Borycki
Musicians
Marianne Dugal – Violin
Olivier Thouin – Violin
Robert Marcel Lepage – Piano
Sofia Gentile – Alto
Sylvain Murray – Cello
Yannick Chenevert – Double Bass
Music Recordist and Mixer
Luc Léger
Music Recording Assistant
Padraig Buttner-Schnirer
Re-Recording
Geoffrey Mitchell
Picture Finishing
902 Post Inc.
Online Editor and Colourist
Doug Woods
Assistant Online Editor
Robert Carrigan
Production Coordinators
Stephanie Coolen
Sarah Gignac
Vanessa Larsen
Senior Production Coordinator
Kelly Davis
Program Administrators
John Lutz
Leslie Anne Poyntz
Marketing Manager
Melissa Wheeler
Publicist
Pat Dillon-Moore
Business Affairs
Dominique Aubry
Stéphanie L’Écuyer
Producers
Annette Clarke
Paul McNeill
Executive Producer
Annette Clarke
Ravida Din
