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RATING: *** out of four

Director: Rob Stewart

Writer: Rob Stewart

Cast: Rob Stewart, Will Allen, Brock Cahill

Sharkwater Extinction is a conservation documentary that plays a bit like an espionage thriller.

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The film skips around the planet investigating the billion dollar shark fin and shark meat industry, observing what that means in terms of overfishing, illegal trade, unsavoury characters and dire situations.

And species annihilation.

Much of the action unfolds against visually mesmerizing footage of sea and sky. The beauty and mystery of the ocean are captured in stunning underwater footage — here are fragile hammerheads, whale sharks, and Oceanic whitecaps, majestic creatures being harvested at the unbelievable rate of 150 million a year.

Sharkwater Extinction is a follow-up of sorts to the 2006 documentary Sharkwater, a global phenomenon that altered thinking about the apex predator and conservation.What’s changed since Toronto filmmaker Rob Stewart made that first feature is everything, and nothing. Thanks to Sharkwater, shark finning has been banned in 90 countries; as Sharkwater Extinction reveals, alas, the taste for shark fin has apparently not abated. Moreover, shark meat can now be found in pet food, cosmetics, fertilizers and even behind the counter at your local fishmonger.