Live Ocean pushes the government to act on bottom trawling

Where is the Swim4TheOcean petition at? 

The Swim4TheOcean petition was formally presented and read in Parliament on 29 April. 

Last week, on 10 June, Live Ocean and Jono Ridler lodged a written submission in support of the petition’s call to end bottom trawling, outlining in more detail our case for change. Our submission highlights that only Government can lead the change, based on the scientific evidence on bottom trawling impacts, the growth in public concern, and how New Zealand remains out of step internationally. 

We have requested the opportunity to appear before the Petitions Committee and make an oral submission in person. 

What did our supporting submission say? 

Our view is that the impacts of bottom trawling on ocean ecosystems are well understood and that the challenge facing New Zealand is not a lack of scientific evidence, but a lack of political and regulatory direction. While New Zealand has made international commitments to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, we continue to allow practices that damage them. 

For more than a decade, governments, officials, industry and environmental organisations have debated the future of bottom trawling. In 2022, a lengthy government consultation on the protection of seamounts from bottom trawling attempted to find common ground through a multi-stakeholder forum. It ended in impasse. 

Industry has resisted change, while communities, scientists and ocean advocates have continued to call for reform. Efforts to find common ground have failed. Neither side can resolve this issue alone. 

Change must come from central government, based on the best available science and New Zealand’s international commitments. 

The Live Ocean petition, carrying 73,647 signatures, calls on the New Zealand Government to implement a three-step plan to phase out bottom trawling: 

1. Act immediately to stop renewal or issuing of permits for NZ-owned fishing boats to bottom trawl on seamounts in areas beyond national jurisdiction. New Zealand is now the only country still bottom trawling on seamounts in the South Pacific. 
2. Fully protect seamounts in New Zealand waters by the end of 2027– no bottom trawling on any seamount rising 100m or more from the sea floor. The destruction is high; the value of the catch is relatively small. 
3. Support the industry to innovate and rapidly transition away from bottom trawling entirely.This is not an anti-commercial fishing position: instead, it is about ensuring the long-term resilience, social licence, and international credibility of an industry that matters deeply to regional New Zealand. There are indications some vessels are spending more time using other harvesting methods, such as mid-water trawling: transition is possible
   

Read our full submission here.

A growing mandate for change 

The direction of public sentiment is clear: New Zealanders expect stronger ocean protection and action to reduce the impact of destructive fishing practices on vulnerable marine environments. 

The Swim4TheOcean petition attracted 73,647 verified signatures, making it one of the largest ocean-related petitions presented to Parliament in recent years. 

The campaign also generated significant public engagement. Swim4TheOcean content reached 36.4 million social media views and 1.15 million engagements, while the live swim tracker was viewed 1.27 million times. Across the campaign, 416 media stories were published, generating an estimated audience reach of 390 million. 

These results build on years of work by organisations and individuals advocating for stronger ocean protection, including the 2020 petition led by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition and 1conservation partners, which attracted 52,443 signatures. 

New polling conducted by Horizon Research in April 2026, commissioned by WWF-New Zealand, found that 90% of New Zealanders support limiting bottom trawling in some form. The survey also found that 47% of New Zealanders now identify bottom trawling as the greatest threat to the marine environment, up from 37% in comparable polling in 2024. 

What happens next? 

The Petitions Committee will review and consider the submission and determine what happens next, including whether the petition is referred to another committee for further consideration. 

We’ll continue to keep supporters updated as the process progresses.