Greenpeace UK has unveiled a giant limestone boulder carved into the likeness of legendary ocean defender Sir David Attenborough. The tribute was unveiled aboard the environmental group’s ship Arctic Sunrise on the River Thames earlier today.
Campaigners plan to lower the monumental sculpture – fondly dubbed ‘Attenboulder’ – onto the ocean floor as part of their boulder barrier to stop destructive bottom trawling in the Southern North Sea off the east coast of England. Last week the group announced they had placed nine boulders in the same sanctuary, which was set up to protect harbour porpoises but remains the UK’s most bottom trawled Marine Protected Area (MPA). The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has written to Greenpeace UK threatening legal action if Greenpeace does not immediately cease further boulder placements. [1]
The unveiling comes as millions of people recently tuned into Blue Planet III, bringing ocean protection back into the spotlight. Greenpeace is accusing the UK government of squandering the opportunity to properly protect the UK’s waters and wildlife in the decade since the last series of Blue Planet aired, leading to a public outcry about the state of the ocean.
Will McCallum, Co-Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, said:
“The public is falling in love with our oceans all over again thanks to Blue Planet III. Yet right off our coasts the government still allows industrial fishing vessels to bulldoze the seabed and all of the incredible marine life it holds. These are supposed to be safe havens for wildlife – not killing grounds. The government’s inaction makes a mockery of the term ‘marine protected area’ and is an insult to Attenborough’s urgent work over many years.
“We wanted to pay tribute to Sir David’s enduring legacy of ocean protection. We brought ‘Attenboulder’ to the heart of political power in London today to send a message: if politicians in won’t protect our precious marine life then we will. The government should stop threatening peaceful protestors and start protecting our seas at home as well as creating a network of new marine sanctuaries on the Atlantic high seas.
Since Blue Planet II first aired in 2017, the government has created 23 new offshore MPAs bringing the total to 78. But Greenpeace says these zones are protected in “name alone”. Only in the last four years has the government started introducing restrictions on destructive fishing in these areas, and most still lack any restrictions. In 16 of the new MPAs, overall fishing activity has increased, with activity for larger industrial vessels over 24 metres in length surging by 15% [1].
Over the same period, the total amount of fish in UK waters has dropped by over 40% and six out of every 10 fish stocks have declined, according to analysis by Blue Marine Foundation.
The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise has spent the past month patrolling the Southern North Sea – a site designated to safeguard harbour porpoises. Last weekend alone, the crew made contact with seven industrial fishing vessels over 33m long urging them to cease fishing operations in the protected zone.
The purpose of the voyage is to create a new ‘Ocean Park’ to deter bottom trawling and other forms of destructive fishing. By strategically placing giant boulders on the seabed and alerting authorities to their coordinates, the boulder barrier has effectively closed 116 square kilometers (45 square miles) of the marine park to bottom trawling. Six MPs including Kerry McCarthy MP and Dr Roz Savage MP as well as celebrities Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch have signed their names to the boulders marking their wish for UK offshore Marine Protected Areas to be properly protected
