My buddy and I have spent the last six months working exclusively on this documentary, commissioned by the Università Politecnica delle Marche as part of MAPA - MArine Adriatic PArk Project - Interreg Italy Croatia.

The goal is to raise public awareness about the richness of sandy environments, which have always been dismissed as barren deserts. Yet, the majority of professional fishing worldwide takes place right in these habitats. Specifically, there’s a long-standing effort to promote a Marine Protected Area in front of Mount Conero, in the Adriatic Sea.

I hope the university publishes the full video soon so I can share it with you. For now, here’s the trailer.

PS: I know I don’t need to explain this to you guys—you’re all muck diving addicts anyway! 😁

What a great project! You’re doing important service. Wishing for the best outcome for this protected area.

A fascinating project, and the quality of the footage and the way it is used is really something else.
Looking forward to seeing the full finished work 🤩

Davide,

Very nice! Hope to be able to watch the whole film soon!

David Attenborough did a video/film about the trawling fishing industry's impact on the sandy ecosystem. https://youtu.be/IzG9AwlypaY?si=eFWvrHp6TeBALWCf

Your video does a better job of highlighting the beauty of what all is there before a trawler does its damage.

Evan

Edited Wednesday at 02:57 AM2 days by ACHiPo

Thats great!

When the full version will be released?

On 1/7/2026 at 3:55 AM, ACHiPo said:

Davide,

Very nice! Hope to be able to watch the whole film soon!

David Attenborough did a video/film about the trawling fishing industry's impact on the sandy ecosystem. https://youtu.be/IzG9AwlypaY?si=eFWvrHp6TeBALWCf

Your video does a better job of highlighting the beauty of what all is there before a trawler does its damage.

Evan

Thanks for the nice words.

The story behind the footage of bottom trawling in action is long and, in some ways, controversial. I’ve seen those BBC shots, and I’m thrilled that icons with the communicative and economic power of David Attenborough and the BBC have produced and published them.

Footage like this has always existed among professionals, but it has always been kept well-hidden in the archives of companies and research institutes. Nobody wants to show them because they speak for themselves. Even a child can understand them, and the damage to a company's image is immediate.

Consider that for years, various environmental organizations (Oceana, WWF...) have used very old, poor-quality, and almost incomprehensible images for their campaigns against bottom trawling.
Ten years ago, in one of my videos, I tackled the subject of indiscriminate fishing and asked them for permission to use that footage. They told me the clips had been passed down for years and they didn't even know who the original owner was. So, I decided to find others. First, I tried to shoot them myself. The technique is well-known and used specifically by those who study and improve fishing gear: usually GoPros mounted on the trawl doors and at the end of the net. My attempts with fishermen were, obviously, unsuccessful. You take a risk just by asking to film!
It was the same story with universities. Later, I found some beautiful footage on YouTube shot in Northern Europe by a university professor working on modernizing fishing techniques. No story, permission denied! Then I found footage from another foreign university that never replied to my requests. After months of unanswered emails, I decided to use them anyway, given that on YouTube, unless otherwise specified, Fair Use guidelines apply. They aren't as beautiful as the BBC's, but they’re enough for my scope.

The onboard footage, however, is real, and that too is like a punch to the gut when you realize that, on average, 30% of the catch from bottom trawling is thrown back into the sea, and very few species survive. As Professor Carlo Cerrano says in my video: 'It's like harvesting a vineyard with a bulldozer.

Bottom trawling images start at about 60" and there are English subtitles.

https://youtu.be/lWX7xY4HHw8?si=8dx9w4ZxNthlzo7b&t=58

20 hours ago, homodelphinius said:

Thats great!

When the full version will be released?

Thanks

I hope in the next few weeks. The work was funded by this European Project so it will published on the University YT channel I guess.

Maybe have a look at submitting it for festivals like the ocean film festival in Australia!

Looks like it's too late for this year (as it's in March) but maybe you could submit it for next year?

https://filmfreeway.com/OceanFilmFestivalWorldTour