Following up on the message of Sir David Attenborough’s documentary Oceans and coinciding with the UN Ocean Conference, which concludes in Nice today (13 June), a campaign video for UK charity the Blue Marine Foundation starring scuba-diver Theo James and Stephen Fry has been hitting the spot online.
In The Bottom Line James (Divergent, The White Lotus, The Gentlemen) plays a diner at an upmarket restaurant who orders a seemingly sustainable fish course from an unctious waiter portrayed by Fry.
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Both actors are Blue Marine ambassadors, and the purpose of the short is to remind audiences about the invisible costs of humans dining as they please.
“As a keen diver, I’ve long been captivated by the ocean and been horrified by the impact humans are having on it,” said James after completing the shoot.
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“Having had a load of bycatch dumped on me, it really drove home just how grotesque and devastating the practice of bottom-trawling is. It was deeply unsettling, but I was glad to do it if it helps drive real change.”
UK ban, but how soon?
The campaign film was created in the hope of driving forward an urgently needed ban on bottom-trawling in the UK’s so-called Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), says Blue Marine.
“Currently a staggering 90% of the UK’s marine reserves remain open to bottom-trawling, and as for the fish that is indiscriminately caught in the nets of trawlers, up to 80% of what is caught is discarded or destroyed,” says the foundation. “Let’s end this now. Take action with us.”
In fact on World Ocean Day (8 June), the day the film was released, the UK government announced its intention to ban bottom-trawling in 41 offshore MPAs covering an area of 30,000sq km of English waters (1.5 times the size of Wales).
“This is a huge step forward to stopping the senseless annihilation of our marine reserves,” acknowledged Blue Marine, while also emphasising that nothing will have changed until the proposals become reality and a ban is enforced. It is asking supporters to share the video on social media.
The Blue Marine Foundation and Atomized Studios film The Bottom Line was directed by Ben Mallaby.
Also on Divernet: Hard-hitting Attenborough film condemns MPA trawling, Prince William ‘optimistic’ about ocean future, 5 ways to improve marine conservation around Britain, Paper parks: ‘Two-thirds of MPAs ineffective’
