A Herculean fish and the fight against a $6 billion mega-dam project in Alaska

Energised by a charming, eclectic cast of characters, including the titular fish, The Super Salmon dives into a civic battle between government bureaucrats and grassroots activists over the proposed Susitna-Watana Dam in southern Alaska: a $6 billion project that critics believe would greatly damage a vital salmon-spawning area. Planned at a time when mega-dams have largely fallen out of fashion with US energy and environment experts, the project was set to become the second-largest dam in North America before being suspended indefinitely in 2016. Combining perspectives from all sides of the fight with the story of the ‘ninja of all salmon’ – a radio-tracked fish that made a near-mythic spawning journey up the Susitna river – the director Ryan Peterson injects the frequently dry, so-serious environmental activism documentary genre with a refreshing dose of verve and humour, all without losing sight of the issues.