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