Iconic nature documentarian David Attenborough has told Prince William humans have done "unspeakably awful" damage to the planet's oceans. The Prince of Wales filmed a conversation with Attenborough, posting it on his social media channels for World Oceans Day. They spoke about Attenborough's latest film, Ocean with David Attenborough, and the 99-year-old's lengthy career.

Attenborough 'appalled' by bottom trawling

Attenborough spoke to Prince William about the very early days of ocean exploration, from when the now 99-year-old was a young filmmaker. The prince asked Attenborough about what state the oceans were in these days.

"What we have done to the deep ocean floor is just unspeakably awful," he said. The interview was cut with vision from Attenborough's film showing how the ocean floor was impacted by bottom trawling — footage he said he was "appalled" by.

In the film, Attenborough says "it's hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish". He explained to Prince William that, because it occurred below the surface, many people weren't aware of the impacts of bottom trawling.

"The awful thing is that it's hidden from you and from me, and most people," Attenborough said. "I mean, if [there was] anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms."

What is bottom trawling?

It's a commercial fishing method. The idea is to catch fish that live on or near the sea floor with a large net towed by a boat.

• "Trawl nets are shaped like a cone or funnel with a wide opening to catch fish or crustaceans and a narrow, closed ‘cod-end'," the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) website says.
• "Trawls can be used at various depths and nets differ by their mesh size."

AFMA says trawling is the most common method of fishing but explains there are two types — midwater trawling and bottom trawling. Midwater trawling has "minimal impact on the environment", the AFMA says, because the nets travel through the water and don't come into contact with the sea floor.

But the mechanisms drag along the sea floor in bottom trawl fishing operations. "Significant damage can occur if sensitive habitat areas like corals, sponges and seagrass beds are trawled," AFMA says. "To ensure these sensitive habitat areas are protected from trawling, management arrangements such as area closures are extensively used."

Hopes film inspires conservation

"If this film does anything, if it just shifts a bit of awareness, it would be very, very important," Attenborough said. "And I clearly hope that people who see it will recognise that something must be done before we destroy this great treasure."

Fans took to the comments section to echo Attenborough's hopes for environmental conservation. "There is still hope and I hope the younger generations focus more on protecting what we have and rebuilding what we can," one YouTuber wrote in the comments section.

"Thank you so much for sharing this and bringing awareness of the tragedy that is happening to this beautiful underworld. May we all work together to rectify this issue before it becomes worse," another said.

When is World Oceans Day?

World Oceans Day is on June 8. It's an event on the United Nations' (UN) calendar that was inspired by the Oceans Institute of Canada. It was first declared back in 1992, but wasn't officially observed by the UN until 2009.

"The purpose of the day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilise and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world's oceans," the UN says.

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.