TVSquad

In the 1980s, everyone was talking about the farm crisis. You heard about it on the news, celebrities came out to voice their support for farmers, and sometimes the topic would even make it into the scripts of some TV shows. It was the "Cause of the Week" so to speak.

Those of us who actually lived on a farm, however, had a perspective no one else had, no matter how many news specials they watched or magazine articles they read. It's one thing to know what's happening; it's another thing to experience it first hand.

At one point in A Fish Story, a documentary about the struggle between fishermen on Cape Cod and environmental groups who want to limit the amount of fish they can catch, a fisherman's wife compares their plight to the farm crisis of the 1980s. This was about more than just the possibility of losing money, it was about losing a way of life that had sustained families for generations.

A major part of agriculture, whether it's on land or sea, is to keep the area environmentally sound. Decades after an environmental disaster spurred by international fleets in the 1970s, a coalition of environmental groups feels the fishermen aren't doing enough. The result is a lawsuit that severely limits how much fishing is allowed and threatens to put many fishermen out of business. A Fish Story does not provide any easy answers, because there are none, but it does show that even the best of intentions can have a negative impact, and that maintaining harmony between man and nature is not as black and white as some might think.

The documentary will air on PBS' Independent Lens tonight at 10pm.