Greenpeace drops boulders in North Sea to block fishing

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 05:57 · Archive

Greenpeace activists have dropped boulders in the North Sea to prevent bottom trawling in a marine protected area.

Greenpeace activists aboard the ship Arctic Sunrise dropped nine boulders into the North Sea over the weekend to create an underwater barrier designed to snag the dragnets of industrial trawlers. The stones were placed around the Southern North Sea marine protected area, located along the east coast of England from north of Dogger Bank to the Strait of Dover.

The Southern North Sea MPA was established to protect harbour porpoises, which depend on maintaining adequate fish stocks for food. The area supports nearly 20% of the UK North Sea porpoise population. However, despite its protected status, there are currently no restrictions on fishing in most of it. Bottom trawlers, which drag weighted nets along the seabed, logged more than 37,200 fishing hours in the protected zone in 2025, according to Greenpeace.

Greenpeace claimed the boulder barrier has effectively closed 116 square kilometres (45 square miles) of the MPA to bottom trawling. Will McCallum, the campaign organisation's co-executive director, said: 'Hulking great ships prowl the sea day after day, stripping it of fish and killing precious wildlife like porpoises, sharks and sea birds. With our ship and a movement behind us, we're doing what the government isn't: protecting our seas.' The activists declared the zone an 'ocean park', in the spirit of Britain's national parks.

Greenpeace said the action was a 'last resort' taken after years of meeting with politicians and the government to protect marine protected areas, with progress at 'a glacial pace'. The organisation did not have a licence from the government to drop the boulders.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs responded that activities at sea should be carried out lawfully and with due regard for sea users' safety. A Defra spokesperson said the government has strict legislation protecting marine environments and has banned damaging fishing activities in more than 100 sites, whilst considering further restrictions where beneficial.

Greenpeace said it will patrol the area over the coming days to deter other kinds of industrial fishing.

How it is being reported

• Boulders dropped off coast to disrupt deep fishingGreenpeace drops nine large rocks to create a barrier to bottom-trawling fishing vessels.BBC Science · 3 Nov, 05:44
• Greenpeace deploys boulders in North Sea to 'protect porpoises'Greenpeace says it has formed an underwater barrier with boulders in the North Sea to prevent "destructive fishing" in an area created to protect porpoises.Sky News · 2 Nov, 13:33
• Greenpeace activists create ‘boulder barrier’ in North Sea to deter industrial fishingAction taken to prevent bottom trawling in the marine protected area and conserve porpoise populations Greenpeace activists have dropped boulders in the North Sea to snag the dragnets of industrial trawlers fishing in a marine protected area. Activists onboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise dropped the giant stones to form an underwater barrier around the Southern North Sea marine protected area (MPA) – the UK’s most bottom-trawled MPA. Continue reading...The Guardian · 2 Nov, 13:10

In this story: Greenpeace · Arctic Sunrise · Southern North Sea · North Sea · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Will McCallum · Norfolk · Great Yarmouth

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log