Plot Synopsis

Narrated and co-written by Chun-Wei Yi and produced by underwater photographer Brian Skerry, SEA CHANGE: THE GULF OF MAINE is a three-part documentary that explores a body of water that is warming 97% faster than the global ocean, and what that means for the Gulf of Maine -- for the animals, for the jobs dependent upon it, and the millions of people along its shores -- and may serve as a preview of what could happen worldwide due to climate change. The series blends science, exploration, natural history, and stories of human experience, to illuminate how what happens here could have profound global implications. Viewers encounter the wilderness and wildlife that still teems in these waters. The series also documents the range of people including scientists, Native Americans, fishers, and entrepreneurs working to reveal the Gulf's complex history and helping to understand what role the ocean plays in all of our lives.

A marine treasure of some 36,000 square miles, the Gulf of Maine stretches from the tip of Cape Cod to Nova Scotia and is more than a thousand feet deep at its lowest point. It courses with cold, nutrient-rich water, mixed by the world's biggest tides. This rich environment feeds a web of over 3,000 species ranging from microscopic plankton to massive right whales. Millions of people have lived along the Gulf, drawing their sustenance and livelihood from its plentiful depths. It is a seminal body of water, a cradle to ancient peoples, and a lifeline to fragile marine ecosystems. But for all its storied bounty -- and because of it -- the Gulf is also in peril, with some of its fisheries now depleted to extreme levels.

The three episodes are:

"Bounty" (Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 10pm): The Gulf of Maine and its bounty was forever changed by European settlers and this episode
lays bare how centuries of brilliant and often catastrophic innovation led to an unnatural extraction. Now with the Gulf warming faster than 97% of the global ocean, witness how people and wildlife are -- or are not -- adapting to rapid change.

"Peril" (Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at 10pm): A remote -- and relatively pristine -- part of the Gulf, Cashes Ledge, is a gem of unimaginable bounty. From this vantage point, scientists can investigate how the Gulf came to be, coming to see how its cold waters, unique tides, and even geologic shape power a web of more than 3,000 species ranging from microscopic plankton to massive right whales.

"Survival" (Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 10pm): We are at a crossroads for the future of the Gulf of Maine and our global oceans. Whether it is Indigenous scholars providing conservation leadership, scientists tracking the latest developments, or entrepreneurs finding new ways to make a living from the sea, people are charting a new course in these changing waters.