Greenpeace campaigners have placed nine large boulders off Great Yarmouth, aiming to prevent bottom trawling within protected North Sea waters.
Greenpeace campaigners have dropped nine giant boulders into the North Sea off Great Yarmouth in an attempt to prevent damaging fishing practices within a protected marine area.
The rocks, each weighing up to two tonnes, were lowered onto the seabed approximately 30 miles off the Norfolk coast by activists aboard the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise.
The campaign group says the action is designed to prevent bottom trawling, a fishing method involving heavy nets being dragged across the seabed.
The Southern North Sea Marine Protected Area was established to help protect harbour porpoises and their feeding grounds.
However, Greenpeace claims fishing vessels spent more than 37,200 hours bottom trawling within the protected area during 2025.
Campaigners say the boulders have effectively created a barrier covering approximately 116 square kilometres, discouraging trawlers from operating in that section of the sea.
Greenpeace has acknowledged that it did not obtain a licence before placing the rocks, describing the action as a last resort after years of campaigning for stronger protections.
The government says damaging fishing activities are already restricted in more than 100 protected marine sites, with additional measures under consideration.
The Marine Management Organisation has published the reported positions of the boulders to warn fishing vessels and other sea users.
Officials have stressed that activities at sea must be carried out lawfully and safely.
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