Is the Attenborough Effect turning Kiwis against bottom trawling?
Thursday, 11 June 2026
Following a period of intense spotlight on the marine environment – including Sir David Attenborough’s Ocean documentary and Jono Ridler’s epic ultra-marathon swim – public opposition to bottom trawling has surged.
The controversial fishing practice, featured in the award-winning film in shots from underwater cameras at the mouth of an enormous net, has now overtaken plastic pollution as the number one marine threat in the eyes of New Zealanders.
A nationwide Horizon Research survey of 1032 adults, commissioned by WWF-New Zealand in April, reveals 47% of respondents now view bottom trawling as a top threat to oceans. That’s a 10 percentage point increase from 37% in late 2024.
The polling highlights a strong public appetite for tighter regulations on the commercial fishing industry.
Read More:
Crowds welcome Ridler to Wellington after 1400km push for ocean protection
Ocean advocate ticks off another milestone on historic swim for change
A huge majority want bottom trawling restricted in some form, with nine out of 10 respondents supporting tighter controls.
More than half of those polled (58%) believe these restrictions should apply across all New Zealand waters, while 32% favour targeting limitations specifically toward sensitive or vulnerable marine areas.
Bottom trawling is a widely used fishing method, in which powerful vessels use enormous nets to scoop up tonnes of fish and other sea creatures over a matter of hours.
Approximately 68% of fish by volume in New Zealand caught by trawling on or within 1 metre of the seabed, according to Fisheries NZ.
Critics point to the destruction wrought on seabed habitats and fragile marine life, and a large carbon footprint. But defenders say it is both efficient, able to catch volumes and types of fish impossible by other methods, and is necessary to keep up with global demand for protein.
More than half (55%) of those polled believe bottom trawling should be banned entirely within the Hauraki Gulf. (A plan to significantly restrict bottom trawling in the gulf by implementing trawl corridors was controversially shelved by the Government last year.)
Restricting commercial fishing methods such as bottom trawling was the number one action citizens want the Government to take to protect the ocean, jumping from 33% support in 2024 to 47%.
And support for expanding Marine Protected Areas remains high at 81%.
Public sentiment regarding how the marine environment is being looked after trends heavily negative: 44% of respondents rated the current Government's marine conservation record as “poor” or “very weak,” with top-reported emotional responses being concern (36%), disappointment (33%), and frustration (24%).
WWF-NZ spokesperson Caitlin Owers said: “David Attenborough’s incredible Ocean film, Jono Ridler’s epic swim across the North Island, and significant public opposition to recent fisheries reforms have put ocean issues firmly in the spotlight far earlier than we’ve seen in previous election years.”
Between January and April, Ridler swam the entire east coast of the North Island to raise awareness for a healthy ocean and oppose bottom trawling.
Political parties have a clear mandate to take “ambitious action,” Owers said.
“The gap between our identity as an ocean nation and what we’re actually doing is significant. Less than 1% of our ocean territory is highly protected… Our ocean record is shameful.”
Seafood NZ chief executive Lisa Futschek said: “We know fisheries are a shared resource and the health of our ocean is vital to our industry.
“The industry supports science-based management that ensures fishing activity occurs in appropriate areas and minimises environmental impacts.”
She pointed to recent government statistics that said the trawl footprint was just 1.7% of domestic waters in the 2024/25 fishing year.
“In effect, bottom trawling occurs within a very small, defined footprint, with fishers returning to the same area year after year.
“A ban or severe restrictions… will likely see a significant jump in prices of New Zealand caught fish and/or imported fish from parts of the world with less sustainable fishing practices.”