EXPOSED: The Truth About Bottom Trawling Revealed for the First Time

Jasper Smith

Join us in telling the UK Government to end the destruction of our marine havens

OCEAN with David Attenborough , co-produced by Arksen  and  10% for the Ocean , marks a turning point in ocean conservation — exposing, for the first time ever, high-definition footage of bottom trawling and its catastrophic impact on our planet’s most vital ecosystem.

Bottom trawling has remained hidden for centuries — until now. In one of the most powerful sequences ever captured beneath the waves, the film shows metal chains bulldozing across the seabed, crushing corals, uprooting centuries-old life, and leaving scars so vast they are visible from space. All of this, in pursuit of a single species — with everything else dumped as waste.  “It’s hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish,”  says Attenborough.

Bottom trawling is still allowed in many so-called marine protected areas worldwide. And perhaps even more astonishingly, it is subsidised by governments. Very few places are safe from this — including almost nowhere in my own country

David Attenborough, in OCEAN

This destructive practice happens on a global scale, every single day. Each year, an area almost the size of the Amazon rainforest is bottom trawled — often the same waters, again and again, without time for recovery. Even Marine Protected Areas are not off-limits.

You cannot call an area protected if you allow it to be destroyed.

OCEAN is a wake-up call — and a hopeful one. Over 3 billion people rely on fish as a primary food source. Stronger ocean protections can restore marine life, boost fish stocks, support local communities, and help combat climate change. Conservation and fisheries are not opposing goals — both rely on abundance.

The film doesn't stop at devastation. It travels from Antarctica to Indonesia to spotlight the people fighting back — and reveals a profound truth:  if we act now, recovery is not only possible, it's already happening .

This is not just a film. It is a tool for global change. The footage is now open-sourced via Open Planet, empowering educators, scientists, and activists around the world to drive action, policy, and reform.

Join us, Blue Marine Foundation , Oceana UK , Only One  in calling for an immediate ban on bottom trawling in all Marine Protected Areas — starting here in the UK.

History is watching. Will we be the generation that saved the sea — or the one that looked away?

This is the bottom line. End bottom trawling. Protect our oceans. Watch OCEAN and take action.