Marine Protected Areas within the UK’s seas have been called ‘nothing but meaningless lines on a map’ by ocean advocacy campaigners calling upon the British government to place a comprehensive and immediate ban on bottom-trawl fishing in some of the country’s most vulnerable and critical marine spaces. 

Campaigners from a coalition of ocean advocacy NGOs took to London this week to deliver the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) a clear cut message from concerned citizens across the UK and Europe: End bottom-trawl fishing now before it’s too late or fail to protect vulnerable biodiversity – and livelihoods – dependent on healthy seas.

A petition signed by almost 200,000 people from across the UK and Europe was hand-delivered to the UK governmental department this week, calling for a ban on destructive fishing practices and a swift and effective move to revitalise more sustainable fishing underpinned by the country’s small fishers sector.

Delivery of the petition was made by a coalition of ocean advocacy NGOs, including the Transform Bottom Trawling Coalition, Oceana UK, the Blue Marine Foundation, the Environmental Justice Foundation, and the outdoor brand, Patagonia.

It brings to light the reality of the UK’s current protection measures placed across much of its marine space. Despite over 35% of UK waters being designated as Marine Protected Areas, many of these areas remain at risk due to bottom trawling – a highly destructive fishing practice which involves dragging heavy nets across the seafloor.

This method not only destroys fragile habitats but also threatens marine wildlife, which, argues the coalition, undermines the very purpose of these protected areas. According to analysis of satellite data from Global Fishing Watch by Oceana UK, 33,000 hours of suspected bottom-trawl fishing activity took place in the UK’s offshore MPAs last year alone.

In recent weeks, NGOs such as Oceana UK have been increasing the pressure on the UK government to take direct action to better protect the UK’s marine areas and the biodiversity and livelihoods that depend on them.

Last week witnessed the launch of a roadmap, presented to the UK government by Oceana UK, to end overfishing and unsustainable and destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling while revitalising the UK’s local and more sustainable fishing industry, one that is underpinned by its network of small fisheries.

Within the roadmap, Oceana UK highlights that while the UK’s small fishing businesses make up 72% of the total fleet, independent and small fisheries only receive 2% of the total allowable catch quota each year. The lion’s share goes to big corporations which fuels overfishing and much of the destructive, bottom-trawl fishing activity we see today.

The NGO coalition this week has argued that without a comprehensive ban on bottom trawling, the UK’s ability to protect 30% of its seas by 2030 – a UN target to which the UK alongside the vast majority of UN member nations committed – will fall short.

Tom Collinson, advocacy manager at Blue Ventures which was among the NGOs to deliver the petition to DEFRA this week, said: “Small-scale fishers and fish workers are on the frontlines of the ocean emergency. As marine life is destroyed by heating seas, overfishing, and pollution, their livelihoods are hit hardest. 

“The UK government must take urgent action to protect both our oceans and the communities that depend on them. Banning the most destructive practice – industrial bottom trawling – from sensitive, protected areas should be the starting point.”

The two sites with the most apparent bottom trawling activity, the Western Channel MPA and the Southwest Deeps (East) of the Cornwall coast, are both critical biodiversity hotspots, supporting species like the small-spotted cat sharks and cuckoo rays. The Southwest Deeps also stores some 1.67 megatons of carbon, which are equivalent to the emissions of over one million return flights from London to Sydney.

Amy Hammond, campaign lead at Oceana UK, said: “Any marine “protected” area being bulldozed by bottom-trawl fishing is protected in name alone. We cannot continue to praise politicians for meaningless lines on a map – the public expects action.

“Eight in ten adults in the UK feel that bottom trawling should be banned in protected areas, our polling showed, and today with our allies, we present Environment Secretary Steve Reed with a petition of over 180,000 voices from the UK and EU calling for an end to this destruction of our shared seas.” 

The petition was delivered ahead of the next phase of the Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) consultation on the protection of MPAs, a key opportunity for the government to step up and enact meaningful change. With the MMO’s review under way, the petition has been hailed a crucial platform for the public’s growing demand for the UK government to take definitive action to protect marine biodiversity.

The petition is part of a broader campaign, with deliveries also planned for the Spanish, French, German, and Dutch governments up to December 2024. The final delivery will be presented to the newly appointed European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, in January 2025.

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