Sea Shepherd, the NGO founded by the Canadian activist Paul Watson, is best known for images of its battles on the decks of Russian and Japanese whaling ships, and of Brigitte Bardot defending baby seals in the 1980s.

But what has become of Sea Shepherd? What struggles are they engaged in today?

Guardians of the Sea takes us to the Mediterranean, following volunteers of the NGO over several months in their fight against pollution, illegal fishing and poaching. A struggle with no end in sight, such is the scale of the task.

The documentary immerses us in the lives of Sea Shepherd members on a campaign, offering an unprecedented encounter with these men and women, entirely committed to their cause. Over the course of the film, we discover their enthusiasm for action, their desire to accomplish something tangible, and we witness the real day-to-day work of the NGO. Far from the image conveyed by the press and social media, the organisation continues to hunt marauders, but now does so in collaboration with the authorities to hold polluters and poachers to account.

While today’s Sea Shepherds no longer act as marine vigilantes, their actions are no less worthwhile – cleaning up vast quantities of waste, removal of illegal fishing equipment harmful to marine animals and biodiversity, and tracking poachers. The stakes are high – the Mediterranean marine ecosystem is today one of the most threatened in the world, and illegal fishing accounts for 30% of the fish sold around its rim