The powerful new documentary, OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH features never-before-seen footage of bottom trawling and its devastating effects on our ocean.
Playing in cinemas across the globe now, OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH exposes something that has been hidden from public view for decades, bottom trawling and dredging occur without the knowledge of what marine life is being destroyed. The film puts a necessary spotlight on the human actions leading to the Ocean’s collapse and the effects of destructive fishing techniques.
“It’s hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish.”
The visceral, heart-wrenching footage featured in the clip is the first time the process of bottom trawling was filmed in such high quality and the immense scale of trawling’s destruction revealed. This destructive fishing method occurs daily across the globe; as Attenborough says in the clip, “very few places are safe from this.” Iron chains bulldoze across the seabed, leaving trails of devastation in their wake that are visible from space. Attenborough reveals that trawlers, often on the hunt for a single species, discard almost everything else, remarking, “it’s hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish.” An area almost the size of the Amazon rainforest is trawled every year, with the same places being trawled repeatedly, without the chance to recover. Only by revealing this footage to the world and exposing what’s happening beneath the surface can people start to truly understand the impact on marine life.
OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival, more full of life, wonder, or surprise, than the ocean.
In the film the celebrated broadcaster and filmmaker reveals how his lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery. Through spectacular sequences featuring coral reefs, kelp forests and the open ocean, Attenborough shares why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing.
Stunning, immersive cinematography showcases the wonder of life under the seas and exposes the realities and challenges facing our ocean as never-before-seen, from destructive fishing techniques to mass coral reef bleaching. Yet the story is one of optimism, with Attenborough pointing to inspirational stories from around the world to deliver his greatest message: the ocean can recover to a glory beyond anything anyone alive has ever seen.
As the film shows, ocean protection is a win for us all, especially with over 3 billion people worldwide depending on fish as a food source. Conservation and fisheries have the same goal: more abundance of fish. Stronger ocean protection can help boost fish stocks, support fishing communities, restore biodiversity and combat climate change. While Attenborough exposes the greatest threats to our oceans’ health as never seen before, he points to inspirational stories from around the world to reveal the most remarkable finding of all: If we take action now, the opportunity for marine life to recover on an unprecedented scale is well within our reach. As Attenborough declares, “If we save the sea, we save our world.”
