UK government proposes bottom trawling ban after pressure from conservationists

The UK government have proposed a new ban on bottom trawling, a destructive form of fishing that devastates marine habitats, after a campaign by leading NGOs to end this practice in protected areas.

The proposal, which are subject to consultation, will prohibit the use of bottom-towed fishing gear in 41 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), covering approximately 30,000 square kilometres.

Bottom trawling involves dragging large weighted nets to target species that live close to the seafloor, but in the process devastate fragile marine ecosystems such as sea grass and coral systems, as well as indiscriminately capturing a range of non-target species that can include marine mammals.

The news comes after significant pressure from leading conservation organisations, with ORCA amongst those lending their name to calls for action on this issue. The release of Ocean with David Attenborough has helped raise the issue with the wider public, with research by Oceana UK showing that 8 out of 10 people in the UK think that this destructive form of fishing should be banned in MPAs.

In response to the news, ORCA CEO, Sally Hamilton said: "Bottom trawling is devasting habitats around the UK and it is really positive to see the UK government taking long-overdue action on an issue that unites conservationists, scientists and the wider public. We hope that this consultation will be completed swiftly and robust protections put in place to halt this destructive practice as soon as possible in some of the most important and fragile ecosystems in UK waters."

The ban follows a recent intervention by the EU General Court to uphold bans on bottom trawling in the North Sea.