Directed by Lindsey Haskin • Documentary • With J.K. Simmons • 2024 • 92 minutes

J.K. Simmons narrates THE FISH THIEF, which explores the mystery behind how and why the fish most prized by people nearly disappeared from the largest freshwater ecosystem on Earth: the Great Lakes. The story dramatically illuminates nature’s links to our economic prosperity and quality of life. Since prehistoric times, fishing has been unusually important here. Aboriginal people fished for subsistence and fishing is central to their cultures. European immigrants drove the growth of a booming commercial fishing industry that employed thousands of people in Canada and the United States. Then disaster struck. THE FISH THIEF tells the story of remarkable people who tackled the mystery, first uncovering the cause then tenaciously searching for a solution. The future of businesses, towns, tribal communities and First Nations hung in the balance. They discovered a problem that menaces ecosystems globally. What they accomplished continues to influence the Great Lakes region’s economic fortunes and sounds a warning about the future of natural resources and the prosperity of millions around the world today.