Scottish fishing body accuses David Attenborough of 'propaganda'

The National

16-06-2025

The Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) have issued a statement claiming that Attenborough's latest cinematic offering for National Geographic, Ocean, is a 'full panoply of Hollywood tear-jerk techniques'.
Co-produced by two Bristol-based companies, Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios, the cinema-length film documents how the state of the world's oceans and our understanding of how they function have changed over the course of Attenborough's lifetime.
The natural historian and broadcaster described Ocean as one of the most important films of his career, as the launch coincided with his 99th birthday last month.
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However, despite the film being widely well-received, the narrative of the world's oceans being at a crossroads with 'destructive' fishing techniques has triggered condemnation from SFF.
A statement from the Aberdeen-based federation said: 'Once again, the fishing industry is in the position of defending its legitimate business activity in the face of a fresh onslaught from environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) designed to influence delegates to the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, from June 9-13.
'The spearhead this time is a film, Ocean, made by Silverback and narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
'Despite being voiced by someone who is regarded as a national treasure, and whose former association with the BBC means he is almost universally perceived as being impartial and unbiased, the film is a work of anti-fishing propaganda that wholly blames the industry for the poor state of the planet's oceans.
(Image: PA)
'Astonishingly, it singles out fishing from every other form of human impact on our seas.
'It also omits to mention the necessity of protein-rich, healthy food to feed the planet, and fishing's relatively low impact on greenhouse gas emissions, compared with other modes of food production.'
SFF added: 'Deploying the full panoply of Hollywood tear-jerk techniques, from beautiful imagery to, by turns, uplifting and depressing music, and additional narration by individuals who give an unchallenged, one-sided perspective on a variety of case studies from around the world, it has been carefully crafted to damage the industry.'
The industry body went on to say that fishermen have made 'huge changes' over the last 30 years to ensure fish stock levels are 'sustainable for the future'.
They went on to say that the industry is 'very heavily regulated' and that their focus is to work with governments in a bid to find a balance between conservation and sustainable harvesting.
SFF added that island communities depend on seafood to provide jobs and income and that the industry is committed to making industry sustainable for future generations to come.
The statement concluded: 'The unbalanced and unfair light shone on fishing in Ocean does a huge disservice to the skilled, knowledgeable and responsible men and women who make up our industry and, sadly, is a wasted opportunity to inform the public.'
Ocean contains some of the most graphic footage of the damage that bottom trawling, a common fishing practice around the world, can do to the seabed.
According to Attenborough, the film is a vivid example of how industrial fishing can drain the life from the world's oceans.
Footage from the film shows how the chain that the trawlers drag behind them scours the seafloor, forcing the creatures it disturbs into the net behind.
They are often seeking a single species: more than three-quarters of what they catch may be discarded.
A statement from Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios said the film emphasises the importance of supporting fishing communities and highlights that one of the 'standout lines' is that the goal of healthy fisheries and conservation is the same.
The statements read: 'Throughout this film, we make clear this is not anti-fishing.
'One of the standout lines from the film is that 'the goal of healthy fisheries and conservation are the same: more fish, more abundance'.
'The film emphasises the importance of supporting fishing communities and the three billion people worldwide who depend on fish for food and livelihoods.'
The statement added: 'If we allow marine environments to recover, fisheries will recover too.
'In the film, we cite the scientific recommendation of protecting 30% of our seas and, crucially, this is not suggesting we stop fishing altogether.
'Certain types of fishing methods are particularly damaging, but there is no reason why we cannot continue to fish if we also govern the ocean more responsibly.'