We Can’t Afford to Wait This Time: How the Seafood Industry Should Respond to Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’
David Attenborough’s newest documentary, Ocean, premieres this June, and if you work anywhere along the seafood value chain, this isn’t just another nature film to watch on a Sunday night. It’s a moment that will once again shake up life and business as we know it.
Why? Because whenever Attenborough speaks, people listen. His voice carries generational trust, especially among Millennials and Gen Z – two groups whose purchasing decisions are already shaped by climate-conscious narratives. And while the full documentary hasn’t aired yet, early clips suggest that commercial fishing may once again be cast in a deeply negative light. The question is, will we be ready this time?
Seaspiracy Left Scars. Let’s Not Add Salt.
If you were in the seafood industry in 2021, you already know the storm Seaspiracy created. The film painted global seafood systems as exploitative, backwards, and beyond repair. It blurred the lines between fact and fiction. It cherry-picked data and omitted entire sectors.
But the public didn’t care about its accuracy – they cared about the story.
That film went viral. Grocery shoppers asked fishmongers questions they couldn’t answer. Shoppers swore off seafood entirely. And businesses across aquaculture, wild harvest, and processing were hit with a wave of skepticism that’s still being felt today. We had the data. We had the receipts. But by the time the rebuttals came out – often partial and defensive – the narrative was cemented in the public’s mind.
This time, we don’t have the luxury of waiting.
Attenborough is not a fringe voice. He’s one of the most widely respected environmental communicators on Earth. While we hope that this film will present balance-minded facts first, if Ocean portrays seafood as a villain in the climate story, the consequences will be more widespread, more mainstream, and more permanent than what we saw in 2021.
The Seafood Industry Is Better Than Its Headlines
Here’s the truth we want the world to know: there are people in this industry who are working every day to restore habitats, protect biodiversity, feed communities, and build regenerative models of ocean stewardship.
There are artisanal fisheries working in balance with nature, large-scale commercial fisheries leading the way with bycatch-mitigating innovations and clean power technologies. There are regenerative aquaculture operations rebuilding ecosystems, absorbing carbon and creating jobs, and seafood producing pioneers slashing their feed-to-fish ratios. And the ripples of these actions positively impact billions of people, whether they realize it or not.
These stories exist. But they don’t always get the time of day, especially when all the public sees are headlines, not nuance. If Ocean raises hard questions, we need to be ready with honest, clear, human answers.
So, What Should the Seafood Industry Actually Do?
At InnaSea, we believe this moment requires more than damage control. It’s an opportunity to be proactive and lead the story.
Here’s how seafood companies – whether you’re a retailer, processor, producer, marketer, or advocacy group – can show up with courage, clarity, and collective strength:
1. Lead with Values, Not PR Spin
People are not looking for perfection. They’re looking for purpose.
We need to acknowledge the hard truths. Yes, some sectors of our industry have contributed to environmental harm. Pretending otherwise erodes credibility. But the response isn’t silence – it’s showing what we’re doing well, and where we’re enacting positive change.
This is your chance to talk about your sustainability initiatives, harvest management efforts, labor practices, and the real tradeoffs you’re managing in a complex world.
Don’t just say “we care about the oceans” – prove it with specifics. Transparency builds trust, and trust drives change.
2. Put the Mic in the Right Hands
Let’s be brutally honest: regular people don’t trust companies. Why would they? They know where their priorities lie, and faceless, run-of-the-mill corporate statements won’t make an impact (not a positive one, at least).
You know who will?
The diver hand harvesting sea urchins that are shipped and enjoyed worldwide.
The expressive fishmonger sharing skills and stories while processing products from both local and large-scale fisheries.
The production manager at a high-volume processing plant working to reduce waste and improve traceability.
The fisherman who’s been fishing out of the same port for 30 years and grown their fleet to create jobs that support their community.
The Indigenous leader restoring centuries-old clam gardens.
The deckhand on a trawler using new technology to minimize bycatch while hauling thousands of pounds of protein.
The chef who’s built a restaurant around low-impact seafood.
The marine scientist helping a farmed shellfish operation track carbon uptake.
These are the messengers people want to hear from. They aren’t just “good PR.” They’re the real people behind the seafood industry at every scale, from artisanal to industrial.
Let’s make sure that we’re seeking them out, making sure they’re front and center in the digital media spotlight, and that their voices are heard loud and clear.
3. Make Curiosity Your Superpower
The temptation will be to go defensive. Resist it. We repeat: RESIST IT.
Instead, meet the public’s questions with curiosity and openness. Host Q&A sessions on social media. Make explainer videos about how your supply chain works. Use plain language, not industry jargon. Meet people where they are in their language, especially younger generations who want to understand where their food comes from.
If someone DMs you a question about feed sourcing, don’t ghost them. No matter how uncomfortable. Answer it. Better yet, turn it into a post. You don’t need to be perfect, but you do need to be present, genuine, and helpful.
4. Create a Real-Time Content Response Plan
Waiting until the documentary drops is too late. Start building your content strategy now.
That could include:
A short-form video series on your sustainability practices
Behind-the-scenes content from your operations
Interviews with your staff or harvesters
Visual explainers of certifications and traceability
A landing page that pulls all this together for your audience
Once the film airs, your audience will be fired up with questions. Give them a place to land where they can find real answers.
5. Show Up Together, Not Divided
Here’s something else we can’t afford to repeat from 2021: letting every sector scramble in isolation. Farmed vs wild. Small-scale vs industrial. Domestic vs imported. These divisions only weaken our collective voice.
The truth is, most consumers don’t differentiate between sectors. When trust erodes, it erodes across the board. That’s why we need aligned messaging across industry groups, brands, NGOs, and communications partners.
This is an all-hands-on-deck moment, and it needs to sound like one.
6. Remember: We’re Still Writing the Story
One documentary doesn’t define seafood. Our actions do.
If this moment feels like a threat, reframe it as a turning point. This is an invitation to write a new chapter – one where our industry is seen as a force for resilience, restoration, and responsible food systems. But that story won’t tell itself. So, get to work.
Don’t Just React. Respond.
Attenborough’s Ocean will almost certainly stir a wave of public dialogue around the sea and how we fish it. It will reach dinner tables, decision makers, and future voters. We don’t control the narrative, but we can absolutely influence how it lands.
So let’s meet the moment with intention. Let’s be bold in our transparency, generous with our knowledge, and respectfully strategic in our storytelling.
Because the only thing worse than being misunderstood is staying silent when it matters most.
