The Our Seas coalition, a group of 135 organisations, have written an open letter to the BBC suggesting that the BBC TV series Trawlermen ‘has missed a vital opportunity to explore urgent sustainability issues, as well as failing to reflect the important diversity of the fishing industry.’

The coalition says that the new series launched in October, fails to mention “even briefly” the environmental and climate crisis challenges or problems with bycatch faced by the fishing industry.

Trawling industry faced a “massive challenge” because of its carbon footprint.

The letter noted that the BBC signed up to the climate content pledge at the Cop26 summit, acknowledging its “crucial responsibility” to act on the climate crisis and vowing to generate content that “inspires … audiences to make greener choices”. (photo: BBC)

Citing a “growing body of evidence” that the sea floor is a vast store of carbon that can be disrupted or damaged by bottom trawling, the coalition said the trawling industry faced a “massive challenge” because of its carbon footprint.

A quote in the Guardian from a BBC spokesperson said: “Trawlermen: Hunting the Catch is a new observational documentary which follows deep sea fishermen from around the country as they risk their lives in one of the most dangerous jobs in Britain. The BBC is committed to covering issues around the environment and sustainability across its output, with recent examples including series such as Frozen Planet II and Our Changing Planet and the Go Green initiative on Radio 2 and the One Show, as well as our extensive coverage from Cop27.”

The open letter to the BBC from the Our Seas coalition can be read in full here.