The Fisherman’s Tale Official Trailer (Link)

The Fisherman's Tale is a feature-length documentary film about the collapse of the Great Lakes commercial fishing industry. The film is finished, but we need your help to complete post-production and bring it to festivals, community screenings, and distribution.

This story follows real people whose lives have been shaped by the industry’s decline. Paul Vanlandshoot is a fourth-generation commercial fisherman in northern Michigan, one of the only ones left in his region. His kids cannot take up the family business, and it is nearly impossible to make a living. Amber Petersen runs a small fish market on the coast of Lake Michigan struggling to make ends meet while simultaneously lobbying at the State Capital for commercial fishing rights. Dustin VanNorman manages a fishery, feeling the full weight of an uphill losing battle. But they fight to do what they do. It’s in their blood.

In Michigan alone, only 11 commercial fisheries remain out of more than 1,500 historical operations. The industry has lost 99% of itself over the last 70 years due to invasive species introduced through man-made waterways, the deliberate prioritization of sport fishing over food production, and decades of regulations that never kept up with the changes in the ecosystem. When we started pulling on this thread, we could not stop. Every rock we flipped revealed something we could not believe had not already been told. So we made a film. Now we need help finishing it.

The funds will go directly to color grading, sound mix, music licensing, and final delivery for festivals and streaming. Nothing else. The story is captured. This is the last mile. We need your help to finish this important film and bring these untold stories to audiences everywhere. Your support will make a real difference in preserving the legacy and raising awareness about the collapse of the Great Lakes commercial fishing industry.