London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Why is Greenpeace dropping boulders off the UK coast?

Why is Greenpeace dropping boulders off the UK coast?

Activists have taken to the sea to implore the government to take action on harmful fishing practices.

Activists on a Greenpeace ship have constructed an underwater "boulder barrier" to stop harmful fishing practices in one of UK’s Marine Protected areas.

The environmental group completed the barrier in secret last week. It aims to close off 55 square miles of offshore Brighton, one fifth of its total area, because of threats from destructive bottom trawling. It is hoped that it will obstruct nets from reaching the sea bed and impacting other ocean life.

A previous attempt at a similar boulder barrier protest implored the UK government to close off Dogger Bank and South Dorset’s offshore areas to the harmful fishing practice. At present, the UK government has left 97 per cent of national waters open to this process, Greenpeace says.

British celebrities including Thandie Newton, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Paloma Faith, Jarvis Cocker and Ranulph Fiennes have put their names to some of the large rocks.

Chef and broadcaster, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says he is “proud to have had the chance to put my name on one of these boulders”.

Donor names are painted in chalk ahead of the boulder placement aboard the Greenpeace ship, Esperanza in the English Channel.


“However, this shouldn’t be necessary”, he adds. “Our fervent hope is that our government will now turns words into action, paper parks into real conservation, and properly protects our oceans”.

“The government’s move to properly protect just two of the UK’s protected areas barely touches the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is needed to save our oceans”, says Greenpeace oceans campaigner, Chris Thorne.

“All of the UK’s protected areas need real protection, not just a handful. This government is supposed to be showing global leadership on ocean conservation and fighting for 30 per cent of the world’s oceans to be protected, but it can’t even properly protect 30 per cent of our own waters”.

The initiative will help prevent destructive bottom trawling which destroys the Offshore Brighton Marine Protected Area's seabed.

How bottom trawling impacts our oceans


Bottom trawling is a fishing practice that involves dragging heavily weighted nets across the seafloor in order to catch huge quantities of fish. It is used commonly in commercial fishing for this reason. It has been called the sea-equivalent of deforestation.

Greenpeace takes issue with this method because it is “indiscriminate” in what is caught, creating an enormous impact on the biodiversity of oceans.

In warmer countries such as New Zealand, this can have a disproportionate impact on coral and turtle populations. Just last year the New Zealand trawling destroyed up to 3,000 tonnes of deep sea corals.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×