A powerful film! The vaquita, the world's smallest whale, is near extinction as its habitat is destroyed by Mexican cartels and Chinese mafia, who harvest the swim bladder of the totoaba fish, the "cocaine of the sea." (the bladders can bring up to $100,000 each on the Chinese black market!) Environmental activists and undercover investigators are fighting back against this illegal multi-million-dollar business. Many of the naval officers/soldiers, the police, the customs officials, and government officials are bribed to let this happen. It's so horrifying what is happening in San Felipe, Mexico, just about a five hour drive from Los Angeles. The vaquita are going extinct so people can profit from a bladder that has not been proven to provide any medical 'help'. Yet the belief of it, and the fact that so much money can be made, has humans creating a situation that not only is killing the vaquita, but it also destroying sea life in the Sea of Cortez. All of the illegal fishing has polluted the sea with nets and destroyed whales, dolphins, and sea turtles. At the film's end, it said that over 800 illegal nets have been pulled out of those waters. So much needles death of these poor ocean animals. Just terrible.
Review of Sea of Shadows
