Sir David Attenborough makes powerful plea as he launches his new film Ocean

Wales Online

06-05-2025

Sir David Attenborough makes powerful plea as he launches his new film Ocean
The veteran broadcaster issued a stark warning ahead of his 99th birthday
Ocean With David Attenborough looks at the damage some fishing practices cause in the world's oceans
Sir David Attenborough has released a captivating new documentary to mark his 99th birthday, urging the world to urgently protect our oceans.
The film, Ocean With David Attenborough, blends stunning visuals with a powerful message, exposing the brutal consequences of harmful fishing practices while celebrating the ocean's incredible natural beauty. The documentary pulls no punches, shining a harsh light on the destruction caused by practices like bottom trawling.
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In one striking sequence, the camera follows a bottom trawl—a massive net dragged across the ocean floor by a heavy metal beam. As the net moves, it destroys habitats, stirs up silt that releases carbon, and captures marine life indiscriminately. The footage is a stark reminder of the chaos hidden beneath the waves.
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In another heart-wrenching moment, the film contrasts "before" and "after" shots of scallop dredging near Scotland's Isle of Arran, showing the environmental devastation left in its wake. Attenborough warns that, shockingly, bottom trawling is still allowed in marine protected areas around the globe, often subsidised by governments, making it even more alarming.
The documentary goes on to offer an insight into the harm inflicted on coral reefs by climate change warming the oceans, leading to mass bleaching events and subsequent algae growth which kills the corals.
In a shocking moment, the film shows factory ships catching krill – a crucial food source for Antarctic wildlife from penguins to whales – on an industrial scale for uses in fish farming, health supplements and pet food.
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West African fishermen find themselves overshadowed by massive industrial trawlers, threatening their way of life as Sir David Attenborough highlights what he describes as "modern colonialism at sea"—wealthier nations sending fleets to secure catches in foreign waters.
Yet the documentary isn't all doom and gloom. The celebrated naturalist offers a note of optimism in a documentary set for release ahead of an important UN ocean conference planned for June in France. He underscores that with the chance to bounce back, our oceans can indeed regenerate, providing a rich bounty of food, sequestering carbon in the depths alongside kelp and seagrass, and allowing marine life to flourish once more.
One segment highlights the recovery of kelp forests off California, where fishing has been banned, leading to vibrant ecosystems and a boom in lobster populations. The film also features the world's largest marine protected area off Hawaii, where marine life is flourishing.
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Sir David emphasises the rebound of global whale populations following an international moratorium on whaling and depicts locations where corals make remarkable recoveries from bleaching events when fishing is restricted, permitting fish to graze away algae and give the ecosystem a chance to heal.
In his narrative within the movie, he remarks: "The ocean can recover faster than we thought possible," He adds, "If we just let nature take its course, the sea will save itself."
Concluding his message with an imperative reminder, Sir David said, "If we save the sea, we save our world." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
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At the upcoming June conference, conservationists are calling on global leaders to honour commitments to safeguard 30% of Earth's oceans, manage the high seas beyond national waters, and put a stop to the most harmful fishing techniques.
In the UK, the Blue Marine Foundation has launched 'The Bottom Line' campaign, urging Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary, to put an end to bottom trawling in marine protected areas. The charity's co-founder, Charles Clover, called the practice "ecological vandalism".
Reflecting on a film showcasing trawling impacts, Mr Clover stated: "This is, if not the first, which it may well be, certainly the best documented example of trawling footage ever filmed, and its effect upon audiences will be truly shocking."
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He also expressed dismay at the daily occurrence of this practice and its devastating aftermath, stating: "That this is going on on the continental shelves of the world every day and the devastation it leaves behind would make anyone cry."
Bottom trawling continues legally within large portions (74%) of England's inshore marine protected areas and most (92%) of Scotland's, according to the Blue Marine Foundation.
Addressing these concerns, Marine Minister Emma Hardy commented: "Our precious marine animals and habitats have been under threat for too long."
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She went on to express the governmental dedication to oceanic preservation and restoration, saying, "This Government is committed to protecting and restoring our oceans to good health and banning destructive bottom trawling where it is damaging protected seabed habitats."