Thanks for All the Fish

John Lambert
Australia, documentary, 2003
26 mins. (Digi Beta)

In Seaworld on Australia's east coast, a curious old dolphin with a white fin no longer performs for the crowds. 'Amity' is the only such animal in captivity in the world. Across a narrow strip of ocean lies 'Minjerribah' Stradbroke Island, and Amity Point from where she was 'collected'. Here the local indigenous people would strike the water, calling the dolphins to drive fish against the shore and into the waiting nets. By journeying through a fishing season, both past and present, we gain remarkable insights into this relationship. Against a backdrop of ecological decline, the question is posed; can traditional law play a role in restoring the equilibrium?