Dogger Bank, a large, submerged sandbank in the North Sea and a vital marine ecosystem around 100 kilometres off the east coast of England, is home to a variety of species. Spanning around 2.5 million hectares across Dutch, German, Danish, and the UK waters, it was once part of a large sandmass that connected mainland Europe and the British Isles during the last ice age. The Dogger Bank has now become a wildlife haven for myriad species that thrive in and around the sandy sediment, functions as a nursery for sharks, rays, herring and cod and forms a rich feeding ground for whales, seals and seabirds.

To restore and protect this special place, often called the ‘ecological heart of the North Sea’, an landmark international initiative – the Rewilding Dogger Bank programme – will be launched in June 2025. 

Led by the Doggerland Foundation, the three-year project will focus on legal protections, habitat restoration, and advocating for the rights of marine life in one of Europe’s most historically and ecologically significant offshore areas.

With funding from the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme and support from seven partner organisations across Europe, including Blue Marine Foundation, this initiative will transform offshore conservation efforts. 

Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine Foundation, added: “Doggerland was once a land bridge between Britain and Europe, a fertile cradle for humanity, which was inundated by rising sea levels 7,000 years ago. Once beneath the waves, the Dogger Bank became the heart of the North Sea marine ecosystem, with massive oyster beds supporting huge shoals of herring and cod.  Industrial-scale over-exploitation of these rich resources followed, along with fierce sea battles from Tudor times to the First World War.

“So after 500 years of conflict and plunder of marine life, it is fitting that a joint international team is seeking to restore the Dogger Bank to its former abundance.  We are so grateful to ELSP’s visionary support for this ambitious project to rewild such a historically and biologically significant place.”

Despite the Dogger Bank’s legally protected status in the British, Dutch and German parts, the area faces severe ecological threats from, amongst others, industrial fishing, bottom trawling, energy extraction and heavy shipping.

As Rob Hutchins reported for Oceanographic at the beginning of 2025, the UK government has already recognised the legal and ecological need to protect the Dogger Bank by closing it in its entirety in UK waters to fishing with bottom towed gear. However, he wrote, certain EU Member States have been accused of “blatantly lagging behind”, refusing to agree measures of equal standard for the rest of the Dogger Bank in EU waters.

The new three-year initiative now hopes to remove destructive practices from the area, while actively working towards restoring the Dogger Bank by taking legal action to protect the area from destructive activities, restoring horse mussel reefs, and improving representation and rights of Dogger Bank marine life in decision-making processes.

Emilie Reuchlin, co-founder and director of Doggerland Foundation, said: “All too often, offshore ecosystems are ignored – what’s out of sight is out of mind. We have been working in the Dogger Bank for over one and a half decades and the challenges in restoring this ecosystem are immense.

“It has been degraded over centuries, and it is not easy to get to – it takes almost a day to travel to the site by boat. But it is a vital breeding ground and nursery in the North Sea that needs protection and restoration. With the funding provided by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme, we will finally have the opportunity to scale up our efforts to bring back the species and habitats that the Dogger Bank has lost.” 

In total, seven organisations are involved in the landmark partnership, including the ATU – Atlantic Technological University in Ireland, Blue Marine Foundation in the UK, BUND in Germany, WWF in Denmark, ARK Rewilding Netherlands, the Embassy of the North Sea, and the Doggerland Foundation in the Netherlands. 

Want to listen to more ocean news? Our ‘Daily Debrief Download’ is your new essential ocean news podcast. Hosted by news editor Rob Hutchins, this daily ocean news update delivers the most important stories on marine life and ocean conservation – all delivered in a quick weekday format. For a sneak peek of our latest podcast which takes a deeper dive into the positive news story about the Dogger Bank, listen to a short snippet below. For the full episode, listen for free on on Spotify, Podbean or Apple Podcasts.

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