On most maps, the North Sea looks like an empty space, a blue patch next to the land, which is crammed with information. But in reality, there is a great deal happening in and on the sea: it is home to and traversed by abundant marine life, it is criss-crossed with ‘essential’ infrastructure (such as gas pipelines, internet cables and power cables), and there is a great deal of activity (think of oil extraction and wind farms). For some time now, economic and ecological interests have been at odds, with the result that ecology is always losing out.
