The seafood industry is bracing itself for a fresh wave of controversy as a new feature documentary, "Eating Our Way To Extinction" opened in cinemas in both sides of the Atlantic Ocean Thursday.

Featuring contributions from Richard Branson and philanthropist Tony Robbins, audiences are urged to reconsider their eating habits and their impact on the planet.

The film narrated and executive produced by Academy Award-winning actor Kate Winslet, is billed as a hard-hitting and visually stunning film experience, which takes audiences on a cinematic journey around the world.

It makes stops in the Norwegian fjords and the Scottish coastlines, where salmon farming are important industries, and calls on the on the public to avoiding animal products such as meat, fish, dairy and eggs in order to secure a sustainable future for the planet.

The filmmakers argue that more than a third of all ocean fish species have seen their populations crash with all others either overexploited or running at the limit.

While 75 percent of tuna and mackerel populations have disappeared, half of catch is fed to livestock, the filmmakers say.

They also claim that up to 22 percent of catches are thrown back into the ocean either dead or dying and that fishing subsidies are destroying ocean eco-systems.

The filmmakers, who are backed by several vegan and vegetarian organizations and investment groups, urge audiences to switch to a plant-based diet.

It is not the first time the seafood industry has come under the sharp glare of the media spotlight this year.

Earlier this year the makers of controversial documentary Seaspiracy appeared to retract their claim that it takes 5-20 kilos of forage fish to make 1 kilo of farmed salmon, according to aquaculture feed company BioMar.

The claim had been made both in the film and also on Seaspiracy's website but was removed from the film before broadcast at the request of Netflix's legal team and has now been removed from the site and replaced with a slightly less damning statement, according to a LinkedIn post from BioMar.