Al Gore was behind the scariest environmental documentary of 2006, and the ecological alarm clock once again rings in 2007 from first time filmmaker Rob Stewart, whose lifetime passion for sharks fuels Sharkwater. Stewart sets out on the noble mission of re-educating viewers away from stereotypical illogical fears about sharks as predatory man eaters to seeing how their status at the top of the ocean’s food chain has helped keep the Earth in balance for eons. Yet just a few decades of human greed and lust have wiped out 90% of the world';s shark population, threatening ecological catastrophe that dovetails right into the same global warming scenario spelled out in An Inconvenient Truth.

I've had an irrational phobia of sharks long before Spielberg's Jaws hit the blockbuster scene—ever since childhood when I read everything the library had on sharks I could get my hands on, and the books about ruthless shark attacks accompanied by graphic photos of victims certainly left an indelible impression. Living in Illinois I was never in danger of being chomped on, but those fears surfaced immediately the first time I visited Ft. Lauderdale. As stupid as it sounds, I just couldn't swim freely in the shallows because I kept looking for a shark fin knifing through the water. Irrational and primal, I could relate to what the mayor says in Jaws:

It's all psychological. You yell barracuda, everybody says, 'Huh? What?' You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.

So I'm among many for whom Stewart weaves his compelling documentary portrait, as he first dazzles with superb high definition underwater photography weaving through non threatening plant life and harmless tropical fish before introducing the sharks on the top of the nautical food chain. Stewart's mission to educate the masses through filming sharks leads him to the greatest remaining shark repositories: Cocos Island, Costa Rica, and the Galapagos Islands.

Initially we learn about long-line fishing, a technique that stretches baited fishing lines over hundreds of miles, indiscriminately hooking, entangling, and killing a myriad species of marine life. Little consequence that the practice remains illegal in a number of countries since there's very little enforcement. So inevitably, Stewart teams up with an independent rogue enforcer—Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that confronts ocean conservation lawbreakers directly by forcing them to port or ramming them if necessary.

Here is where the documentary turns into espionage thriller. As they battle Guatemalan shark poachers to surrender to Costa Rican authorities, the tables are turned and hopes for legal retribution capsized. Despite the fact that the Guatemalans are fishing illegally and have the evidence on board, Steward and his Ocean Warrior mates are arrested for attempted murder and soon discover that the Costa Rica judicial system is riddled with corruption that traces back to Taiwan mafia connections. Thus, the main culprit behind the rapid depletion of sharks is the widespread Asian delicacy of shark fin soup that can go for $90 per bowl minimum.

Stewart goes undercover to photograph ocean front rooftops of drying shark fins in Costa Rica, but he's soon discovered, and remaining in Costa Rica for the coming trial simply is NOT an option. That leads to a wrenching gunboat chase to flee the country, but there additional bumps in the road for Stewart and his campaign to preserve the world's sharks. How ironic that creatures that were here before dinosaurs are now teetering on the brink of extinction because of an insatiable appetite for soup erroneously believed to prevent cancer and a host of other illnesses. Adding to the problem is the shark's image as well. These are not cute harbor seals or benevolent behemoth that can inspire a Save the Whales movement. Those sharks have huge nasty looking teeth and a long history of negative media coverage that makes conservation campaigns on their behalf difficult, but Stewart's Sharkwater is a positive step in the right direction.

And that is what makes indulgent personal moments forgivable—the hospitalization for "flesh eating disease" and the shark hugging and ballet sequences—serve to humanize the sharks and make them appear far less threatening that anything we've seen on film before. Strike another plus for the digital camera and how this enables more potential filmmakers to share their passion with a wider audience. Stewart's film deserves this for its educational value alone, but the striking underwater photography and compelling twists and turns of his adventure make Sharkwater essential viewing.