Our Head of Science and Policy, Charlotte Browne’s view on Attenborough’s new film, Ocean

27th May 2025

Ocean with David Attenborough has been the big topic of conversation in the office and across my social media channels of late. After watching it myself, I can see why it’s provoked so many interesting discussions.

It’s a film with a truly heartfelt message – “Save the ocean, save the world”. If there is one thing everyone can agree on, it is this. The complex, barely-understood but life sustaining ecosystems of the marine world are at greater risk than ever, yet we all need them to be healthy and resilient if we are to weather the impacts wrought by our changing climate.

It also had stark messaging about some of the threats to our ocean – particularly around fishing. While any documentary must condense a vast amount of nuanced information into a few headline messages, the reality of fishing – both its impacts and the solutions – is somewhat different. It was wonderful to see some fishermen being given a platform in the film – surprisingly unusual for films on this subject – but there are so many stories to tell about seafood, and Ocean could only scratch the surface. 

For one thing, there are no single solutions that will change the face of the industry and its environmental credentials. Instead, there are vast swathes of people holding nuanced and honest conversations, working together to understand each other and find the routes to change. From trawlermen to NGOs to academics, it takes innovators, collaborators, new thinkers and old hands to take a centuries-old industry and make it fit for the modern day. They might not see dramatic breakthroughs, and they’ll probably never appear on a cinema screen, but they are the changemakers and unlikely partnerships paving the way to a more sustainable future.

We hold our global fishing industry to an impossible standard: to feed billions of people, while having zero impact, and leaving a completely wild environment in its wake. After centuries of human activity at sea, including but not limited to fishing, our ocean is irrevocably altered. Just like our own agriculture-formed countryside, we can no longer expect it to be returned to a pristine, 100% wild state. 

Watching this breathtaking and moving documentary with these thoughts in mind, it is clear that there is an urgent need to do things better – but we can only achieve that with our eyes and ears wide open, accepting the reality of what can be done and celebrating the astonishing innovations being developed every day. It is time to be bold – boldly collaborating, boldly innovating, and boldly embracing new realities. It will take all of us working alongside each other to face the challenges ahead.

I would make one small addition to the film’s core message – “Work together, save the ocean, save the world.”