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Farmers of the Sea

For the first time, this film unveils the ancestral practice of pot-fishing in Puerto Rico, which is under threat. In the Caribbean island of Vieques, climate change is making fishing more difficult. “Farmers of the Sea” follows the daily life of artisanal fishermen, as they navigate new challenges in pursuit of their catch amidst declining fish populations. Pedro and his crew of "pots-fishermen" find themselves risking their lives by going further into the sea to secure the lobsters that sustain their livelihood, while Cecilia and her partner endure longer hours at the pier to barely catch any fish. Even as this form of livelihood continues to face new challenges, younger generations of Viequenses dream of becoming fishermen, and maintaining the legacy of their fishermen ancestors.

  • Juan Carlos Dávila
    Director
    Simulacros de Liberación
  • Juan Carlos Dávila
    Producer
    Simulacros de Liberación
  • Camila María Rodríguez
    Producer
  • Sandie Viquez Pedlow
    Producer
    P.O.V., Independent Lens, America Reframed
  • Pedro Zenón
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Cecilia Morales
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Giandiel Corcino
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Agricultores del mar
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Television
  • Genres:
    Environmental, Climate Change, Culture, Social Issues
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 31, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Puerto Rico
  • Country of Filming:
    Puerto Rico
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Distribution Information
  • Latino Public Broadcasting
    Distributor
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand, Free TV, Paid TV
Director Biography - Juan Carlos Dávila

Born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Juan C. Dávila is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, news producer, and activist. He is the director of the feature-length documentary film, "Simulacros de Liberación" (2021), which was released in movie theaters around Puerto Rico. Previously he directed two mid-length documentary films: "Compañeros de lucha" (2012) and "Vieques: una batalla inconclusa" (2016). His filmography also includes the award-winning short film, "La generación del estanbai" (2016), "Aftershocks of Disaster" (2020), "Networked Education" (2020), "Rayito de sol" (2021), and a TV pilot for the documentary series "The Response" (2019). In 2023, he won two New York Emmys for the TV series “Puerto Rican Voices” where he worked as a director and executive producer.

Dávila is a former senior producer at "When We Fight, We Win! The Podcast!", and news producer for the newscast Democracy Now! where he continues to contribute as Puerto Rico’s correspondent and producer. His journalistic work has been featured in TeleSur, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, PBS, and The Indypendent in New York. He holds a BA in Communication from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico (2011) and two Masters in Social Documentation (2015) and Latin American and Latinx Studies (2020) from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Dávila is currently directing a documentary about the life of community leader Carlos “Taso” Zenón and just finished a short about the decline of fish populations in Vieques for PBS. Most recently he started developing a documentary about the origins of Reggaeton music for Hulu Originals.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In 2023, I started filming a documentary in Vieques about the life of fisherman Carlos “Taso” Zenón. Zenón was a revolutionary leader who organized other fishermen to halt the US Navy’s drills on the island in the 1970s. For over 60 years, the US Navy tested weapons and practiced military operations in Vieques. As a result, a lot of fishermen’s instruments were destroyed, and the waters were contaminated. While filming this documentary, I spoke with many fishermen who frequently emphasized that “there were no fish in the sea.” This observation from fishermen on the ground (or at sea) caught my attention, and I became interested in making “Farmers of the Sea.”

In this documentary, I wanted to capture the daily life of artisanal and recreational fishermen in Vieques, shedding light on a tradition that is disappearing due to modernization, industrialization, and colonization. For the first time in Puerto Rico, this documentary captures the entire process of fish pots on film: their construction, use, and retrieval. As I documented this ancestral practice, I wanted to know more about the changes these fishermen are witnessing in the fish and crustacean populations they’ve traditionally harvested. For me, fishermen are at the forefront of changing sea patterns and are the first to notice problems in the sea, even before government agencies and scientists. In fact, I consider them organic scientists. They speak from their firsthand experiences as ocean scientists which, for me, holds equal validity to any academic study.

In “Farmers of the Sea” my purpose is to shed light on an aspect of climate change, which I think has been overlooked. What is happening with the food that comes from the sea? When the relationship between food insecurity and climate change has been explored, most of the focus has been on agriculture, livestock, and poultry, but it is also crucial to look at the sea. For many coastal and island communities, the sea is a significant source of sustenance and income. A potential decline in fish populations due to climate change could lead to food insecurity and economic crises for these communities. Therefore, it’s urgent to start paying more attention to coastal and island communities in conversations about climate change.