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CLICK HERE to take action today to ban bottom trawling in our 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 Together For the Ocean 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 join our e-action asking to ban bottom trawling in UK marine protected areas.
