Ethical Decision Making and Leadership as Portrayed in the End of the Essay

Ethical Decision Making and Leadership as Portrayed in the End of the Line Film - Essay Example This study looks into the film â€Å"End of the Line, a documentary film directed by Rupert Murray that focuses on the implications of overfishing across the world. The film is portraying how fishing in modern times is leading to ocean ecosystems destruction. The film shows that the current consumption of fish in the world is very high thereby resulting to overfishing. It shows the fishing communities in the Mediterranean who are long- established being endangered. There is also evidence that the young fishermen in Senegal can no longer compete with the international fleets whose technology is more advanced, hence depriving them the ability to feed their families. Additionally, it reveals that Newfoundland is almost running out of cod despite its fish- rich waters attracting legions of migrants in the past. Apart from these parts of the globe, the film also reveals how overfishing has caused local disparities and corporate iniquities in China, Japan, Malta, and Gibraltar. The film n ot only examines the likely adverse consequences of overfishing to the climate, marine life, and human livelihoods, but also provides potential remedies to these consequences such as reducing the number of fishing fleets. According to Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], the fishing industry is a significant contributor to the world economy, particularly with regard to human food consumption and provision of input factors in some industrial processes. Besides, the industry is a source of livelihood to over 600 million people across the world. Sutherland and Canwell (2011, p. 28) note, fishing industry has three major sectors. The first one is the commercial sector that involves individuals and enterprises that are associated with aquaculture resources and transformations of these resources into sale products. The second sector is recreational sector that is made up of individuals and enterprises that use fishing for purposes of sport or recreation. The third sector is the tradit ional sector that comprises individuals and enterprises that use or derive fisheries resources in accordance with their respective traditions (McGowan, 2003, p. 35). Unfortunately, as it can be seen from the movie, overfishing threatens all these sectors of fishing industry. Ethical Issues in Fishing Industry Fishing industry and the policies that govern it has a wide impact to the living conditions of significant number of people in the world. Fishing is a very crucial source of employment, social and economic benefits, food, and foundation of traditions and cultures (Barnett, 2006, p. 116). Despite the realization that fisheries resources can be depleted, these resources were treated as though they are inexhaustible. However, the recent increase in demand of fish and fish products across the world has brought to light the need to consider how fisheries resources are treated (Vasil'ev, 2011, p. 30). Most expert opinions and researches have indicated that fisheries resources cannot be sustainable in the long run (Kaiser & Forsberg, 2001, p. 191). Out of these facts, ethical issues in fisheries have arisen and they relate to ecosystem and human wellbeing. Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO] (2005) has discussed the right to food, overfishing, ecosystem degradation, poverty as the main ethical issues facing fishing industry. i) Right to Food The first ethical issue in fisheries as noted by FAO is the right to food. FAO observes that fish is a major source of both nutrition and livelihood to millions of poorest people in the world (FAO, 2005, p. 9). Responding to wide spread and persistent hunger, the 1996 Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action reiterated the right of every person to sufficient food and the basic right to be free from hunger as stipulated in the