Destructive bottom trawling could soon be off-limits across swathes of English waters as the government sets out new plans to protect fragile marine life.
In a fresh move to safeguard the seas, ministers are proposing a ban on bottom-towed fishing gear across 41 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), covering roughly 30,000km² of seabed.
A 12-week consultation has launched today inviting views from the industry.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed pulled no punches, warning: “Bottom trawling is damaging our precious marine wildlife and habitats. Without urgent action, our oceans will be irreversibly destroyed – depriving us, and generations to come, of the sea life on which we all enjoy.”
The proposals aim to protect delicate habitats such as sandbanks, gravels and muds that support iconic and commercially important species including soft corals, lobsters, clams and langoustines.
The ban would build on the 18,000km² of seabed already safeguarded from bottom trawling.
It’s part of the UK’s wider pledge to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.
The new move follows the release of the Ocean documentary by David Attenborough , which laid bare the damage done by bottom trawling and featured firsthand footage of vast scars ripped through seabeds.
What we have done to the deep ocean floor is just unspeakably awful. I mean if you did anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms.”
Sir David Attenborough
That film revealed the economic and ecological costs of dragging heavy nets across the ocean floor, destroying not just marine life but the very habitats that sustain it.
Scientists warn recovery from such damage can take centuries.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Defra say the choice of MPAs has been based on detailed evidence of damage caused by trawling and the vulnerability of specific ecosystems.
At the UN Ocean Conference, the UK also pledged £4 million more to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, bringing total funding to £40 million. Another £2.8 million will support sustainable blue economies in island nations.
The consultation on the trawling ban runs from 9 June to 1 September.
Don’t miss this week’s Net Hero Podcast where we will discuss the ‘carbon cost’ of this type of fishing.
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