Fishing the treacherous North Atlantic is everything a modern job tries not to be: it's brutal, dangerous and gruelling. Family and friends are left behind for weeks at a time. In The Voyage of the 7 Girls filmmaker John Brett joins skippers Wes and Marty Henneberry on four voyages aboard their 32-metre longliner - the 7 Girls - for an up-close look at the extreme demands of a job that tests body and soul.

The Henneberry family of Sambro, Nova Scotia, has been fishing for generations. Today, brothers Marty and Wes are at the helm, pursuing giant tuna, swordfish and halibut. The 7 Girls can set out 80 kilometres of gear (over 1,500 hooks!) and has been known to haul in $295,000 worth of fish in a single day. But even a good boat, running the best gear available, is no guarantee of success.

John Brett (whose NFB film One Man's Paradise profiled clan patriarch Lewie Henneberry) sets out to discover what it takes to be a really great fisherman. In the process, he captures his own misadventures - from rogue waves to cameras that self-destruct at the worst possible moments.

This gritty portrait captures both the allure and romance of the primal sea and the price that must be paid by those who follow the fisherman's calling.