Greenpeace activists create ‘boulder barrier’ in North Sea to deter industrial fishing

Activists from Greenpeace have placed large boulders in the North Sea to obstruct industrial fishing in a protected area. They deployed the boulders onto the seafloor to create a barrier around the Southern North Sea marine protected area (MPA), which is particularly vulnerable to bottom trawling by industrial vessels. This MPA, located off the UK's east coast from Dogger Bank to the Dover Strait, is crucial for harbour porpoises, housing nearly 20% of the UK's North Sea population.

Despite being an MPA, most of the area remains open to fishing activities. Bottom trawling, characterized as "a bulldozer tearing through a treasured national park" by Greenpeace UK, resulted in over 37,200 fishing hours within the protected zone in 2025. Greenpeace activists, aboard the Arctic Sunrise, aim to safeguard this area by effectively closing 116 square kilometers of it to bottom trawling.

Over the following days, the ship will monitor the zone to prevent further industrial fishing. Greenpeace UK has dubbed this area an "ocean park," echoing the concept of Britain's national parks. The Southern North Sea MPA, established to protect porpoise populations, aims to ensure the availability of prey. However, Greenpeace argues that the intensive fishing in the region undermines this goal.

The activists' action aligns with the launch of the BBC's Blue Planet III, a documentary highlighting oceanic threats. In 2025, bottom trawlers and dredgers have devastated 55,600 square kilometers of MPA seabeds, an area 58 times larger than Dartmoor national park. Notable figures, including Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, have contributed boulders to the endeavor, advocating for an end to bottom trawling and the establishment of fully protected ocean sanctuaries, both in UK waters and globally. The government has been urged to comment on this initiative.