A new film, “Ocean,” by naturalist David Attenborough features never-before-seen footage of bottom trawling – a fishing practice criticised as destructive and wasteful in which heavy nets are dragged across the seabed.

The film was released ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference starting on June 9 in Nice, France, where scientists and conservationists warn that governments must accelerate efforts to fulfil their marine protection promises.

Countries have committed to protecting 30 per cent of seas by 2030, but currently only 8 per cent of the ocean is in designated protected areas, according to a database called the Marine Protection Atlas.

Some marine-protected areas (MPAs) still allow fishing practices like bottom trawling.

What is bottom trawling?

Bottom trawling involves dragging weighted nets along the sea floor to catch large quantities of commonly eaten fish such as cod, hake, haddock, halibut and sole as well as shrimp.

According to a 2021 report, 99 per cent of trawling happens in exclusive economic zones of coastal countries – areas where countries have rights over their marine resources – with only 1 per cent occurring in the non-governed high seas.

China, Vietnam and Indonesia are the three biggest producers of trawled catch, according to the report published by conservation organisation Flora and Fauna.

Trawling accounts for 26 per cent of the global catch and, while it is declining in much of the world, it is growing rapidly in Asia, according to the report.