FLOW
Short documentary Flow explores the impact of and the issues around the fishing industry in South Korea, not only through the visual representation but also through the all-analogue, haunting soundtrack, integral to the film.
Surrounded by ocean on three sides, it’s no wonder South Korea ranks among the highest in the world for seafood consumption and is currently the 12th largest fishery producer in the world. The country has a well-established, yet mainly traditional, dating back in centuries, infrastructure in fishery, aquaculture, and fishery related industries. The fact the average Korean fishing vessel is old, fuel-inefficient, and produces a large volume of emissions raises the questions of sustainability of the industry, since fisheries are massive contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, the rights of workers in the industry is the cornerstone topic. According to Environmental Justice Foundation report from June 2020, South Korean fishing fleet ranked first in the world for time spent at sea, distance travelled and fishing hours. Women make up nearly half of the fisheries workers, especially on the coast, but they are often paid far less than their male counterparts. A new report, published by researchers at the University of British Columbia and supported by the NGO Oceana, found that South Korea is among world’s top 10 fishing nations spending billions of dollars on harmful fishing subsidies to not only exploit their own domestic waters, but to fish in the high seas and the waters of other nations. These subsidies are contributing to overcapacity, overfishing, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Moreover, harmful fishing subsidies could also be leading to food security issues in some of the world’s least-developed countries where foreign fleets surpass domestic fleets in terms of subsidies and catches.
Domestically, South Korea is experiencing the issues of illegal fishing, mainly caused by Chinese commercial vessels breaching exclusive economic zones. China has the largest distant-water fishing fleet in the world. The recent presence of Chinese vessels off Korean coast has long raised environmental and human rights concerns. A major issue for countries, such as South Korea, dealing with illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is that it is impossible to track fish origin: whether it was obtained in a legal area or by using abused labor.
These issues become revealed in Flow, however not through the explicit documentary style and factual analysis of the industry, but instead taking a meditative turn, capturing the busy life of the fish markets, grandiose aquaculture and fish farms, and the catch itself, ready to be sold and consumed.
