Freshwater Seas: The Great Lakes is being filmed on all five of the Great Lakes, in the eight states that touch on the lakes, and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The documentary is produced in 1080p high definition, the highest resolution video format that can be broadcast today, employing the same type of camera used to film the latest Star Wars movie. The sound track is 5.1 Surround Sound.

Filmmaker Lindsey Haskin and his crew spent two years exploring the lakes by land and water. They joined scientists on federal, state, and provincial research vessels – from large ships to small inflatables – to study the numbers and health of fish and other aquatic organisms. They plunged into the ballast tanks of ocean-going freighters and waded streams and rivers of the Great Lakes basin with biologists studying the life cycles and impact invasive species. Our cameras have joined the crews of massive ore carriers, sleek racing sailboats, and Native American canoes to tell the rich and multi-faceted story of these waters.

The story of the Great Lakes is also told through the cities and towns on their shores: manufacturing giants such as Detroit and Cleveland, financial centers including Chicago and Toronto, the resort towns, fishing ports, major tourist destinations, and quiet small towns. These are the places synonymous with the products of our everyday life: steel, glass, cars, beer, cereal, cameras, plastic. Freshwater Seas takes viewers to Native American communities in the U.S. and to First Nation communities in Canada to learn the culture and history of the region’s first inhabitants. We visit national, state, and provincial parks of the region; national seashores; wildlife and marine sanctuaries. Viewers will revisit iconic Great Lakes sights such as Niagara Falls and the Mackinac Bridge, and encounter for the first time some hidden jewels of the region.

The uniqueness of the Great Lakes region is defined not only by its geography but also by its people. Freshwater Seas spotlights all sorts of individuals whose lives contribute to and benefit from the viability of the Great Lakes. There are those whose livelihoods derive directly from the lakes: commercial fishermen, charter boat operators, ship’s officers and crews. There are the sports enthusiasts, those who spend their leisure hours on and around the lakes fishing, boating, scuba diving, even surfing. And there are the many whose lives are dedicated to or defined by the Great Lakes: government officials, scientists, historians, tribal leaders, industrialists, farmers, small business owners, economists.

Millions of people are affected by the lakes simply because they live in this place of beauty and bounty. Freshwater Seas will demonstrate to an international audience of hundreds of millions more why they too have a stake in this region of seemingly boundless water.

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