•  Almost three-quarters (73%) of Brits say ocean wildlife needs more protection, with just 11% believing that marine life is protected the right amount.
• More than half of the British public (55%) say damaging bottom-trawling fishing practices should be banned in all our Marine Protected Sites, with less than 1 in 5 (19%) saying that bottom-trawling should be allowed to continue in these areas.

This year’s World Oceans Day theme is ‘safeguarding our ocean, its ecosystems and biodiversity’. This research suggests that the public aren’t convinced that we’re achieving these goals in our seas.

A ban on bottom trawling in four MPAs (including Dogger Bank) also comes into effect next week (13 June), and the  Government is calling for evidence to extend the ban to a further thirteen MPAs. Wildlife and Countryside Link, Marine Conservation Society, Surfers Against Sewage, RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts are calling for the bottom trawling ban to be extended to all of the 40 English offshore Marine Protected Areas as quickly as possible – echoing the clear appetite of the British public for stronger protections for ocean wildlife from damaging practices like this.

Dr Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “One hundred years of industrial fishing have been hugely harmful for our marine environment, thinning out fisheries and leaving great scars in the seabed. The theme of this World Oceans Day is revitalisation. To bring life back to the ocean, we need to stop damaging fishing activities in important marine reserves – the “national parks” of our seas.

“The Government has made an important promise to protect 30% of the sea for wildlife, and we welcome the first four bans on bottom trawling, but the vast majority of the sea remains exposed to further damage. Today’s findings make it clear that there is great public support to put a stop to a century of harm and finally enable our seas to recover.”

Dr Lissa Batey, head of marine conservation at The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Exactly a year ago, on World Oceans Day 2021, the Government announced it would start designating Highly Protected Marine Areas by the end of 2022. Progress on this can’t come soon enough because we face a nature crisis in the sea as well as on land – we simply cannot afford to wait.

“This new poll shows that people want to see big change. There is an overwhelming case for designating Highly Protected Marine Areas across our seas which would see a ban on all damaging activities, offering the strictest protection for the marine environment and giving nature the best chance of recovery. A healthy marine environment is also one of the most effective ways to halt climate change alongside much-needed energy efficiencies and the move away from fossil fuels.”