Media
Quotes
Protecting Kona Fish and Sharks, Endangered Species Day 2022
Endangered Species Day 2022 with Paula Fouce, The Dark Hobby; Robert Wintner, Snorkel Bob's; Kaimi Kaupiko, Milioli'i Village; Deron Verbeck, I am Aquatic, hosted by David McGuire, Shark Stewards
Watch here
Wildsound Podcast Interview
Conversation with documentary director Paula Fouce on the making of The Dark Hobby.
Listen here
Matthew Toffolo • Jan 25, 2022
The Environmental Film Festival
The Dark Hobby was awarded Best Feature Film at the Environmental Film Festival. Here is some audience Feedback from a December 2021 screening.
"An excellent film produced by former Sea Shepherd directors Snorkel Bob, Ben Zuckerman... on the destruction to reef fishes caused by the Aquarium Industry."
- Captain Paul Watson
Sea Shepard Conservation Society
"The Dark Hobby sounds like the name of a horror film with a gruesome murder, gut-wrenching gore, and destruction on a volatile level. Director Paula Fouce’s film is undeniably all of those things, just not in the way you think. Instead, this documentary focuses on the destruction of Hawaii’s precious coral reefs and the cruel practices of the aquarium trade."
- Film Threat
‘The Dark Hobby’, ‘2040’, ‘Save Ralph’ Take Top Prizes at 4th International Vegan Film Festival
Hawaii’s controversial aquarium trade, long-distance animal transport, and a glimpse at a world 20 years from now if humanity embraces the best solutions for the planet are just some of the themes covered in the films taking the top prizes at the International Vegan Film Festival, now in its 4th year.
Jill Ettinger • Oct 30, 2021
The International Vegan Film Festival
The annual festival returns in October 2021 with another fantastic lineup of over 30 vegan-themed films, including The Dark Hobby. Watch the 2021 festival trailer below.
"Once you’ve watched the movie, you’ll never look at a fish tank the same way again."
- Lois Alter Mark
Alliance of Women Film Reviewers
"It turns out that those home aquariums filled with gorgeous fish have a dirty secret: those fish have been dynamited or cyanided from their homes on the world’s reefs, traumatizing them and destroying the fragile eco-system."
- Lois Alter Mark
Alliance of Women Film Reviewers
"Aquariums can be lovely, if you can stand the noise, smell and grim business of cleaning them or dealing with the deaths of the “pets” you confine in them."
- Rogers Movie Nation
Protecting Reef Wildlife by Stopping the Aquarium Trade
Nowadays, when you are snorkeling in the Hawaiian Islands, unless you are in a protected area, you may be faced with the fact that the very marine animals have left the building.
Paula Fouce • Oct 13, 2021
"The Dark Hobby, a compelling new documentary film, exposes the ugly truth behind a hobby practiced by so many people globally – the aquarium hobbyist."
-Dominic D.
So. Cal/ City Kids
Video Librarian Review
The documentary The Dark Hobby tells us a lot about a brutal industry that is almost entirely unregulated, and not for want of efforts to get protections written into law.
Tom Keogh • May 21, 2021
"The only thing they don’t do, says one activist, is scream out loud the way mammals do. So it’s up to us to scream for them."
- Lois Alter Mark
Alliance of Women Film Reviewers
Cinesource Magazine Review
This is a crucial benefit of documentary films. They can unearth little known worlds of destruction and optimism, facilitating awareness and actions.
D. Schwartz • July 15, 2021
The Not-So-Greatest Generation
Those of us who profess to love animals must admit, if we're honest, that our love is not always the best of luck for the animals.
M. V. Moorhead • May 21, 2021
Review - Watch The Dark Hobby
‘The Dark Hobby’ Sheds Light on What the ‘Pet’ Fish Trade Is Doing to
Hawaii’s Ocean
PETA • May 21, 2021
Review - Kids First Coming Attractions
Dominic D. reviews the Dark Hobby on Instagram. Check it out here!
Kids First Coming Attractions • May 16, 2021
"The colorful fish in your home aquarium come at a heavy price to the environment."
- SF Weekly
Nick Vernonin
"The Dark Hobby is an important film that exposes a lucrative trade that is threatening some of our most biodiverse marine ecosystems."
- Oceanic Preservation Society
"A good and well-made film that educates the movie viewer of the true dangers posed by the worldwide pet fish industry."
- Unspool Hollywood
Interview - Kids First Coming Attractions
Click here for Dominic D.'s interview with Robert Wintner!
Kids First Coming Attractions • May 16, 2021
The Dark Hobby Review
This insightful film offers informative first-hand accounts from experts and concerned citizens about the global operations of aquarium trafficking.
Common Sense Media • May 20, 2021
Linda Cook review: ‘Dark Hobby’ doc looks at endangered reefs, fish in crisis
“The Dark Hobby” is a fascinating expose of a real crisis – one you may never have considered.
Our Quad Cities • May 20, 2021
The Dark Hobby: Speaking Up for the Endangered
Just because Hawaii has protected its underseas reefs, sand, and rocks from pilferage, the state has taken a totally opposite approach to protect the sea life that does most of the work to keep its reefs from dying.
Filmint • May 17, 2021
THE DARK HOBBY – Review by Lois Alter Mark
Paula Fouce’s powerful documentary, The Dark Hobby, literally goes below the surface to explore the world of aquarium collectors.
Alliance of Women Film Journalists • May 20, 2021
Documentary Review: “The Dark Hobby” shows
how your aquarium is killing the reefs, the oceans
and the planet
The warm, inviting glow of that pricey tank in our homes or our favorite sea food restaurants can be a living, bubbling conversation piece.
Roger's Movie Nation • May 19, 2021
Coming Soon: “The Dark Hobby”
Paula Fouce’s “The Dark Hobby” premieres on May 22
Harsh Light News • Apr 27, 2021
The Dark Hobby
The Dark Hobby sounds like the name of a horror film with a gruesome murder, gut-wrenching gore, and destruction on a volatile level. Director Paula Fouce’s film is undeniably all of those things, just not in the way you
think.
Film Threat • May 14, 2021
"The Dark Hobby": The Price Paid to Tank Pretty
Fishes
An interview with Robert Wintner about the damage of the Hawai'i
aquarium trade.
"The Hawai'i aquarium trade has been catching reef wildlife for U.S. and global hobby tanks for decades with no catch limits, no limit on the number of catchers, and no constraints on rare, endemic or vanishing species. Reef advocates report that fish populations and biodiversity have decreased drasticeally, affecting the hierarchy of marine wildlife, and believe removing fish from their natural habitat should be forbidden."
Psychology Today • Oct 01, 2020
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