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TAKE ACTION to ban bottom trawling in our marine protected areas.
A new poll reveals overwhelming public support for a trawling ban in protected areas. It follows the cinema release of feature film OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH which has opened the eyes of audiences to graphic scenes of the destruction caused by trawling, filmed in greater detail than ever before.
In the wake of the release, Blue Marine Foundation has launched a campaign, The Bottom Line. YOU can help create a lasting legacy for UK waters with Blue Marine, Oceana UK and Only One by asking Steve Reed to close our marine protected areas to bottom trawling.
A new poll reveals that 77% of UK adults are concerned about the loss of marine life caused by bottom trawling, while only 26% believe the UK government is doing enough to meet its international commitments on ocean protection.
Research earlier this year by Blue Marine showed that the majority of UK marine ‘protected’ areas, designed to conserve vital marine ecosystems, remain open to one of the most damaging fishing practices on Earth – bottom trawling.
Now the study, based on a sample of 2,000 adults, finds that three in four adults (75%) support a ban on trawling in marine protected areas and 62% say a politician’s stance on ocean protection affects how they vote.
Strikingly, 63% of Brits have no idea that the destructive practice of trawling is still allowed in MPAs.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are stretches of sea, whether inshore or offshore, designed to protect rare habitats and species. Bottom trawling involves dragging weighted nets across the seabed, which not only shreds fragile habitats such as cold-water corals and seagrass meadows but disturbs carbon stored in marine sediments, contributing to climate change.
“Ocean with David Attenborough’ is, if not the first, which it may well be, certainly the best documented example of trawling footage ever filmed, and its effect upon audiences will be truly shocking,” says Charles Clover, Co-Founder and Senior Adviser to Blue Marine.
Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine Foundation, said: “For too long, industrial bottom trawling has happened out of sight and out of mind. David Attenborough’s magnificent film has lifted the lid on a destructive and wasteful practice that has no place in protected areas.”
Alyx Elliott, Campaigns Director for Oceana UK, said: “Bottom trawling is ripping the heart out of our seas. As David Attenborough’s moving film shows, we are bulldozing the foundations of our ocean by permitting this destructive fishing in marine protected areas. UK seas are already under siege from the climate crisis, pollution and overfishing – they urgently need havens for nature to regroup and build resilience. Oceana UK is proud to be working with Blue Marine and a groundswell of supporters from all over the UK to tell our government: Stop the destruction of our seas. End bottom trawling in all marine protected areas.”
How the public can help
If you are based in the UK you can support this campaign by clicking here to contact the government and send an email to Steve Reed to ban bottom trawling in UK MPAs. Blue Marine Foundation, Oceana UK and Only One are joining forces to campaign for a full ban on bottom trawling in UK marine protected areas, demanding urgent government action to protect our ocean.
If you are outside of the UK head to Revive Our Ocean a global initiative that seeks to scale marine conservation for the benefit of communities and the health of our ocean.
The Bottom Line campaign
CLICK HERE and take action to ban bottom trawling in UK marine protected areas.
The UK claims to be a world leader in its marine protection, but all is not as it might initially appear.
Of the UK’s 6.8 million square kilometres of ocean, six million are in the Overseas Territories. Blue Marine has helped secure a commitment to protect over 4.4m sq km of these Overseas Territories, and some 3.3m sq km of protection is already in effect. These marine protected areas (MPAs) are now sanctuaries for life, and are some of the most highly protected marine reserves in the world.
But the 800K sq km of UK domestic waters are under pressure like never before. Some 38 per cent of our domestic waters are nominally protected, but only 24 per cent from the most destructive of fishing methods – that of bottom trawling.
Blue Marine, in collaboration with Oceana UK and Only One are calling on the UK Government to ban bottom trawling in marine protected areas.
Most people would, understandably, imagine that a marine protected area is just that – protected. But that isn’t the case. An Oceana report found that domestic offshore MPAs alone endured over 33,000 hours of bottom trawling in 2023.
So why is bottom trawling so devastating? The technique employs dragging weighted nets along the seabed to catch fish. Firstly, it’s impossible to target the catch, which means the nets indiscriminately snare anything and everything in its way. This leads to vast quantities of “bycatch,” marine life that wasn’t supposed to be caught, which is more-often-than-not ditched dead or dying back into the ocean.
Added to that the destruction to ocean floor habitats, like seagrass and kelp, habitats that provide food and shelter for juvenile fish – literally the homes of marine life. These habitats, and the seabed itself, are also carbon stores, drawing down and holding carbon out of the atmosphere, mitigating climate change.
Confronted with this scenario, what can we do? Join forces and CLICK HERE to demand real action from the UK Government. Become part of the lasting change that saves the sea for generations by emailing Steve Reed to call for a ban on bottom trawling in our marine havens.
Hard to imagine, isn’t it? How can you explain a process equivalent to bulldozing an ancient woodland? The fact it takes place at sea means the practice is out of sight, out of mind – but the result affects every one of us.
The filmmakers of OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, produced by Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios, have captured the destruction of bottom trawling like never before. The public’s eyes will be open to the fact that our domestic waters need far better protection than just a line on a map. This is our chance to demand change from our decision makers, and that’s #TheBottomLine.
The film is David’s greatest message of hope yet – how we can, and must, restore and protect life in the ocean. OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH is in Cinemas from May 8, with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews on the making of the film. Book now at oceanfilm.net
CLICK HERE to take action and ask for a ban bottom trawling in UK marine protected areas.
Do you want to know more about bottom trawling in UK marine protected areas (MPAs)? We have prepared these FAQs for you.
Find out more about more about our asks for England and Scotland, here.
Read more stories about bottom trawling here.
Ask the UK Government to end the destruction of our marine havens.
Banner image credit to Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios.
This trawling action is part of a global effort to Revive Our Ocean. Click here to find out more.
This campaign is also supported and promoted by 10% for the Ocean who are partners of the film OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH.
