UK against trawling in protected seas in wake of Attenborough film

Poll reveals overwhelming public demand for a ban on destructive bottom trawling in UK marine protected areas, following graphic new footage from Attenborough’s new oceans documentary

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By Bryony Cottam

The new documentary Ocean with David Attenborough has ignited public concern over the destructive practice of bottom trawling within the UK’s marine protected areas (MPAs). The film’s unprecedented footage of seabed devastation has coincided with a new poll revealing that 75 per cent of the British public supports a ban within these supposedly safe havens for marine life.

The poll, surveying 2,000 adults, also found that 77 per cent are worried about the loss of marine life caused by bottom trawling, a fishing technique that involves dragging heavy nets across the seabed. This not only obliterates fragile habitats like cold-water corals and seagrass meadows, but also releases carbon stored in marine sediments, exacerbating the climate crisis.

Despite their protected status, research conducted earlier this year by Blue Marine Foundation revealed that the majority of UK MPAs remain vulnerable to bottom trawling. A recent paper by Jean-Luc Solandt, a conservation scientist at the charity, found that bottom trawling is allowed in 74 per cent of England’s inshore MPAs and an even higher 92 per cent in Scotland’s inshore protected areas. Despite this, 63 per cent of poll respondents were unaware that such destructive activity is still permitted in areas designated for conservation.

‘For too long, industrial bottom trawling has happened out of sight and out of mind,’ says Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine Foundation. ‘David Attenborough’s magnificent film has lifted the lid on a destructive and wasteful practice that has no place in protected areas.’

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In response to the film’s impact and the overwhelming public sentiment, Blue Marine Foundation has launched The Bottom Line campaign, urging UK Environment Secretary Steve Reed to implement an immediate ban on bottom trawling within all UK MPAs.

Adding their voices to the call for action, the CEOs of Blue Marine, Oceana, and Greenpeace have jointly signed an open letter to Keir Starmer, urging the UK government to take immediate steps to strengthen domestic ocean protection. ‘Bottom trawling is ripping the heart out of our seas,’ says Alyx Elliott, Campaigns Director for Oceana UK. ‘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.’