Greenpeace UK activists place giant boulders on the seabed to form what the group calls an underwater barrier. Image Credits: Andrew McConnell / Greenpeace
On 2 November, 2026, the group said in a press release that its activists placed boulders weighing up to two tonnes on the seabed of the Southern North Sea off England’s east coast. Greenpeace says the barrier prevents bottom trawling, a fishing practice that drags gear across the sea floor, from accessing 116 square kilometres. Greenpeace says only 11 percent of the UK’s marine protected areas (43 out of 378) are fully protected by law from bottom trawling. It also notes that a government plan to outlaw the practice in parts of a further 42 areas, announced in 2025, is still undecided, more than a year after its consultation closed. The UK has signed up to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. Greenpeace says just 3.5% of the world’s oceans and just 1% of UK waters are fully or highly protected.
Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch signed their names on the boulders, as did MPs including Kerry McCarthy and Dr Roz Savage.
That’s what Greenpeace UK says it has done. Greenpeace says it had warned back in June that it would take direct action if the government failed to act, and nothing had been done yet. The group itself has declared the area an ‘Ocean Park,’ a campaign label, and said its ship, the Arctic Sunrise, will be patrolling the zone in the coming days to deter other destructive fishing activities.
Imagine dropping giant rocks into the sea to keep fishing boats out. The area was designated to protect harbour porpoises. Greenpeace calls it the most heavily bottom-trawled offshore protected area in the UK. Will McCallum, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, wants a ban on destructive fishing in all UK protected waters. The Southern North Sea is due in a later round, with no date specified yet. The release contains no government response.
The group linked the move to the first episode of Blue Planet III, aired on BBC One the night before the announcement.
Government plans and the bigger goal