Seaspiracy: Meet Ali Tabrizi, the 27-year-old presenter of Netflix’s controversial new documentary

Experts are conflicted about the new documentary, which investigates the global fishing industry and its impact on marine life

Seaspiracy, Netflix’s new documentary about the environmental impact of the fishing industry, has become the subject of fierce debate.

The programme was produced by the same team as 2014’s Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret.

Since Seaspiracy’s release, a number of marine organisations, experts, and even some of the people featured in the documentary have criticised it for perceived “inaccuracies”.

Other viewers and high-profile figures have praised it for raising awareness, and have claimed they want to stop consuming fish altogether.

But who is the lead presenter on the project?

Ali Tabrizi is the 27-year-old Kent-based filmmaker behind the documentary. Born in Ramsgate, he developed his passion for marine life and the environment as a child.

According to The Focus, Tabrizi turned down an offer from the London College of Communication to study photojournalism because he wanted to pursue a career in filmmaking instead.

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He married his partner, Lucy Manning, in 2019. They have a young son.

Together he and Lucy founded Disrupt Studios – the company through which they distribute their documentaries and a podcast about the environment.

At the beginning of the documentary, Tabizi says he had no idea what he was getting into when he set out to make the project.

He explains that he initially started out with the intention of making a programme about “how incredible the oceans are”.

That “completely changed” after he began noticing reports of beached whales in the UK found with plastic and fishing equipment in their stomachs.

Tabrizi then decided to investigate issues such as whaling practises in Japan, overfishing, and sustainable fishing.

Seaspiracy is on Netflix now.