Close
**** The UK Government has now launched its consultation on the closure of 30,000sq kilometres of England’s waters. Add your voice here. ****
On World Ocean Day, ocean conservation charity Blue Marine Foundation, has launched The Bottom Line, a darkly satirical and gut wrenching film starring two of the charity’s ambassadors, actors Theo James and Stephen Fry.
The film, directed by twice-BAFTA nominated director Ben Mallaby, delivers a shocking ending, as a mass of stomach churning fish bycatch crashes down onto immaculately suave Theo and his table mid-meal; exposing the brutal truth about one of the most destructive and overlooked fishing practices taking place in British marine reserves.
Despite their designation, most UK marine protected areas (MPAs) still allow bottom trawling; the industrial practice of dragging weighted nets across the seabed, decimating habitats and indiscriminately catching and killing countless ‘non-target’ marine species in the process. Research by Blue Marine shows that 74% of England’s inshore MPAs and 92% in Scotland still permit this practice, including in fragile habitats such as seagrass meadows.
Currently a staggering 90% of the UK’s marine reserves remain open to bottom trawling. And as for the fish that is indiscriminately caught in the nets of trawlers – up to 80% of what is caught is discarded or destroyed.
In the film, Theo James plays a diner at a smart restaurant who orders a seemingly sustainable fish course. But his evening takes a horrifying turn when an enormous net of rotting bycatch and oil is dumped on him and his table as the ‘extras’ to his “sustainable” plaice.
Fry plays a comedic, shadowy waiter, delivering the harsh reality of the seafood industry; reminding Theo that what we don’t see on the menu is often the most devastating to marine environments.
“This shockingly destructive practice continues even in the UK’s protected areas,” said Stephen Fry. “I witnessed the waste firsthand and was absolutely appalled. It is morally corrupt to allow what should be thriving ecological wildernesses to be reduced to shells of destruction. Bottom trawling in marine protected areas must be banned now.”
Theo James added, “As a keen diver I’ve long been captivated by the ocean and been horrified by the impact humans are having on it. Having had a load of bycatch dumped on me, it really drove home just how grotesque and devastating the practice of bottom trawling is. It was deeply unsettling but I was glad to do it if it helps drive real change.”
Jo Coumbe, Communications Director at Blue Marine Foundation, said “Making this film was an eye-opener, even for the seasoned conservationists. When we first saw the bycatch it was just devastating to see – almost unbelievably so. Baby sharks, rays, cuttlefish, angler fish – nothing gets away. The bycatch sourced to create this film was made up of 27 different species, including five species of shark or ray and numerous juveniles. Nothing is safe from the nets of a trawler.”
On World Ocean Day following 17,000 emails from the public to the UK’s Environment Secretary Steve Reed, the UK Government announced its intention to ban bottom trawling in 41 offshore marine protected areas. The proposed area of 30,000 square kilometres in England’s waters would cover an area one and a half times the size of Wales.
But it’s not a done deal. We need you to help us make this announcement a reality. You can create a lasting legacy for UK waters with Blue Marine, Oceana UK and Only One by telling the government that you support these plans. We don’t have long. The window to respond is very narrow and ends on 1 September 2025.
Take action and send a direct message to the Government to show your support for the plans to ban trawling in 41 marine protected areas HERE.
HOW THE PUBLIC CAN HELP:
The UK Government has now launched its consultation on the closure of 30,000sq kilometres of England’s waters. Add your voice here.
The film was co-produced between Blue Marine Foundation and Atomized Studios and all bycatch was authentic and legally sourced. It was responsibly disposed of through Billingsgate Market’s regulated waste system. Blue Marine Foundation acknowledges sensitivities but defends the hard-hitting imagery as essential to confronting the true impact of industrial fishing. Read our film FAQs here.
Read more about #TheBottomLine campaign and call to ban bottom trawling in UK marine protected areas here.
Read about the campaign film covered exclusively in The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Mail Online.
Banner image (c) Duncan Nicholls.
This action to ban bottom trawling in marine protected areas is part of a global effort to Revive Our Ocean. Click here to find out more.
