NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FOOTAGE OF BOTTOM TRAWLING’S DEVASTATING EFFECTS FEATURED IN OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

WATCH THE CLIP HERE
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(WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 9, 2025) David Attenborough, the world’s preeminent natural historian, brings audiences the untold story of how they can help save the world’s Ocean in the new feature-length documentary OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH. The film features never-before-seen footage of bottom trawling — the act of dragging weighted fishing nets along the Ocean floor — and its devastating effects on the Ocean. Only by revealing this footage to the world and exposing what’s happening beneath the surface can people begin to understand the devastating impact it is having and the urgent risk it poses to our Ocean.

Bottom trawling and dredging have remained hidden from view for hundreds of years — until now. The visceral, heart-wrenching footage featured in the clip is the first time the process of bottom trawling has been filmed in such high quality, and the immense scale of trawling’s destruction is revealed. An iron chain bulldozes across the seabed, leaving trails of devastation in its wake that cover such a huge area that they are visible from space. Attenborough reveals that trawlers, often on the hunt for a single species, discard almost everything else. He remarks, “It’s hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish.”

This destructive fishing method occurs daily across the globe; an area almost the size of the Amazon rainforest is trawled every year, with the same places being trawled repeatedly. As Attenborough says in the clip, “very few places are safe from this.”

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. While Attenborough exposes the greatest threats to our Ocean’s health as never seen before, he points to inspirational stories from around the world to reveal the most remarkable finding of all: That our Ocean can recover quicker than we ever thought possible — 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.”

OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH was shot across the globe, including the Azores, California, Indonesia, the U.K., Liberia, Antarctica, the Mediterranean and Hawaii. Filming took place over two years, with bottom trawling filmed in early 2024 in partnership with scientific studies investigating its impact. The trawling footage was handed over to the scientific community to support global research efforts and will be open-sourced on Open Planet, enabling free access for educators and NGOs.

Filmmakers Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield said of the project, “Collaborating with David Attenborough to deliver this powerful message is a dream come true for us as filmmakers and storytellers. We hope that sharing this unprecedented look at bottom trawling will bring greater awareness to the reality of what’s happening beneath the waves and inspire audiences to protect the world around us.”

Dr. Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas founder and executive producer of the film, said, “I couldn’t think of a more crucial time for this film to be available to a global audience. For the first time, people can see the destruction of bottom trawling unfold in front of their eyes — the heavy nets dragging across the Ocean’s precious floor and killing everything in their wake. I hope the film makes people all over the world fall in love with the Ocean and inspires them to protect it.”

OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH is in cinemas now in select countries outside the U.S. For showtimes visit OceanFilm.net. The film will premiere on National Geographic on Saturday, June 7, at 9/8c and be available to stream globally the next day, World Oceans Day, on Disney+ and Hulu.

OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH is directed by Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield and produced by Nowlan for Silverback Films. The film is a Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios co-production. Executive producers include Louise Pedersen and Rachel Job for All3Media International (the film’s global TV distribution partner), Tom McDonald and Janet Han Vissering for National Geographic, Jasper Smith and Rupert Rohan for Arksen Ltd and 10% For The Ocean, Andrew Forrest and Nicola Forrest Minderoo Pictures, Enric Sala for National Geographic Society and Pristine Seas, Kristin Rechberger for Dynamic Planet and Revive Our Ocean, Rolly van Rappard and Francoise van Rappard for Don Quixote Foundation, and Olivier Wenden for The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

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Media Contacts:
Marcus Cammack, marcus.cammack@natgeo.com
Michelle Vencil, michelle.vencil.-nd@disney.com
Felicia Wong, fwong@clucollective.com