The UK Government has rejected calls for whole-site bans on bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs), following the Environmental Audit Committee’s report Governing the Marine Environment.
In its response to the report, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said restrictions will only apply where fishing is assessed as harmful to specific protected features, calling blanket bans “disproportionate.” The department confirmed ongoing efforts to prevent damaging practices and highlighted continued funding for marine conservation, but declined to update the Marine Policy Statement or expand Highly Protected Marine Areas to 10% of UK waters by 2030.
Committee Chair Toby Perkins MP welcomed a new consultation on trawling restrictions but reiterated calls for full-site protections. Environmental groups, including Oceana UK, argue that feature-based rules fragment habitats and undermine recovery.
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