Greenpeace deploys boulders in North Sea to block destructive fishing

Greenpeace deployed boulders, weighing up to two tonnes each, in the Southern North Sea Marine Protected Area to prevent bottom trawling. The action was taken to protect harbour porpoises. Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch added their names to the deployed boulders. Greenpeace claims this deployment effectively closed 116 square kilometres of the marine protected area to bottom trawling.

The deployment targets bottom trawling, a fishing method that Greenpeace warns destroys seafloor habitats and depletes key fish stocks. The group stated that bottom trawlers logged over 37,000 fishing hours in the protected zone during 2025. This direct action challenges the existing regulatory framework governing marine zones.