Blue Carbon: A Story from the Snohomish Estuary
This short documentary provides a solid overview of the importance of the many estuaries that exist where fresh water and saltwater meet. Not only do these ecosystems provide habitat for diverse plant and animal life, and flood protection for inland communities, but they are some of the most effective carbon sinks we have. We need to restore and protect them.
Run time: 00:05:47
This one made me cry. I’m not ashamed to say it. Follow a team of passionate divers, scientists, and filmmakers as they document the rapidly declining health of corals around the world. Learn why we need to care that our reefs are dying and what we need to do to stop the decline.
Run time: 01:29:00
The dangers of a noisy ocean – and how we can quiet it down
Nicola Jones | TEDSummit 2019. Human-made sounds — from ship engines to oil drilling — have become an acute threat to marine life, says science journalist Nicola Jones. Watch (and listen) as she discusses the strange things that happen to underwater creatures in the face of ocean noise pollution — and shares straightforward ways we can dial down the sound to see almost immediate impacts.
Run time: 00:12:54
Imagine a world without fish. Based on the book by Charles Clover, this film, narrated by Ted Danson, explains how many of the world’s once-abundant fisheries are no longer renewable because of the way we have mismanaged them.
Run time: 01:22:00
John Oliver breaks down the big, terrible lie at the heart of plastic recycling
This content deserves an R rating – his schtick works for adults, but it is not appropriate for kids. That said, his crude bluntness is exquisitely accurate. He “takes a deep dive into the world of plastics, from skyrocketing production to the terrifyingly-large portion of plastic that isn’t actually recycled, some of which ends up in our oceans and even in our stomachs by way of our food and drinking water.”
Run time: 00:22:24
Renowned naturalist David Attenborough sounds the alarm for the loss of wild places on Earth and the impact that loss will have on humanity. He offers a vision of changes we need to make to restore balance within global ecosystems in order to ensure humanity survives and thrives.
Run time: 01:23:00
Meet Dr. Sylvia Earle – oceanographer, marine biologist, author, explorer, and a leading voice in ocean conservation. Learn how she developed the strategy of establishing a global network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to save and restore the ocean.
Run time: 01:34:00
Beautiful. Calm. Introspective. Emotional. Craig Foster dove every day for 324 days in a kelp forest on the South African coast to meet an octopus that became his friend. She taught him what it means to truly be part of nature and not just a spectator of it.
Run time: 01:25:00
Do you want to get smart on plastic quickly? This award-winning film will be a good use of your time. It’s packed full of data on plastic production, use, recycling and waste both here in the US and in countries around the world.
Run time: 01:40:00
Amna Nawaz and her PBS NewsHour colleagues look at this ubiquitous material and how it’s impacting the world, why it’s become so prevalent, what’s being done to mitigate its use, and what potential alternatives or solutions are out there. This PBS NewsHour Presents report first aired on November 27, 2019.
Run time: 00:54:08
I have a lot of respect for people who hear the call and change course to answer it. Follow this team of activists as they go undercover in some of the most dangerous markets in the world to shine a light on the illegal trade of endangered species. Let them inspire you to act.
Run time: 01:30:00
A film by Marina Dodis. The Brunette watershed was once an important salmon-bearing area that became severely degraded by industrialization as Vancouver, British Columbia grew. As a consequence, the salmon runs collapsed. This film tells the story of concerned citizens who worked to rehabilitate the streams and enable the return of the salmon.
Run time: 00:20:00
It’s short, but it does the job. Produced by some of my favorite storytellers at SeaLegacy, this film is a call to pause the industrial fishing of the last functioning herring fishery in British Columbia. It explains why an assault on these small forage fish threatens the entire food web of the Salish Sea and the northeast Pacific Ocean.
Run time: 00:04:50
The Salish Sea: A Legacy Moment
Produced yet again by some of my favorite filmmakers at SeaLegacy, this film accompanied the 2017 application to UNESCO asking them to designate the Salish Sea as a World Heritage site. This extraordinary footage above and below the water’s surface illustrates the special diversity of life that is unique to the Salish Sea.
Run time: 00:09:45
Produced by filmmaker Twyla Roscovich and biologist Alexandra Morton, this documentary explains the impacts of marine fish farming and shines a light on troubling attempts by the Canadian government to protect its fishing industry by concealing issues with the health of the fish being farmed and the damage done to the marine ecosystem and wild fish stocks.
Run time: 01:09:14
Directed by Ali Tabrizi. This documentary builds on stories told in other films such as “The End of the Line” (2009) and “The Cove” (2009), adding another voice to the chorus of people appalled by the ways in which we disrespect the ocean and each other. While I applaud the passion and advocacy, I think it neglects to tell all sides of the story. In particular, as it correctly indicts the abject horrors of industrial fishing, it fails to distinguish the methods of smaller fishing fleets that do manage their local fisheries responsibly.
Run time: 01:30:00
Produced by Friends of the San Juans, this short documentary explains the connections within the Salish Sea food web that are often hard for us to see beneath the surface – the small forage fish, salmon, and orcas, and the habitats that both support them and depend on them. The photography and narration are beautifully done.
Run time: 00:06:11
The Seattle Aquarium created a three-part video series, hosted by wildlife ecologist and conservationist Chris Morgan. Each short video tells a different story about the wonders of the Salish Sea, features a variety of experts explaining why this body of water is so important, and describes a few of the ways we can all make a difference in its health. You’ll find more ideas for taking action on their web pages for each video.
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The Unknown Sea: A Voyage on the Salish
If you have middle or high school kids, this is a good one for them to watch. Deep Green Wilderness takes students on voyages to explore the Salish Sea. This video tells the story of one of their voyages.
Run time: 00:32:09
Why the World Has a Plastic Waste Problem, and How to Fix It
We can’t recycle our way out of our plastics problem; we need to innovate our way out of it. For that, we need new materials and new business models. CNBC provides an overview of the problem, highlights some new companies attacking the packaging problem, and calls on legislators to lead the way to a future with less plastic.
Run time: 00:15:06
© Into the Salish Sea 2025
