The General Court of the European Union has delivered a groundbreaking ruling that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) must be effectively safeguarded from harmful fishing practices such as bottom trawling.

The court rejected a legal challenge brought by a German fishing association seeking to annul conservation measures introduced by the European Commission in several German MPAs. The ruling upholds the legal duty to ensure meaningful protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems at risk from destructive practices. 

John Condon, a senior lawyer at ClientEarth, said: “The European Court’s rejection of the lawsuit against protective measures in the North Sea is a critical victory for marine conservation. Science-backed bans on destructive bottom-trawling must be the rule in all protected areas – without exception. Only then can we safeguard Europe’s marine biodiversity for regeneration to come and provide a sustainable future for fishers and coastal communities.”

This is an important ruling for sending a signal that Europe has strong conservation laws for protecting MPAs from destructive activities such as bottom trawling.

“Now it’s a matter they are urgently enforced,” said Condon. 

“The upcoming European Oceans Pact is a key opportunity for the European Commission to set out a clear vision and strategy to enforce ocean conservation laws and tackle the root cause of so much marine biodiversity loss in Europe.”

Bottom-trawling is a destructive fishing practice involving fuel-intensive vessels that drag heavy metal gear and nets – often weighing several tonnes – across the seafloor, indiscriminately hoovering up sea life and effectively bulldozing marine habitats. 

Globally, less than eight per cent of the ocean is currently protected by marine protected area networks, and in almost all of them bottom-trawling is allowed. In the UK, offshore marine protected areas suffered over 20,000 hours of suspected bottom-trawl fishing last year alone.

Currently, bottom-trawling is permitted in 90% of the UK’s MPAs with only 38 out of its 377 MPAs fully-protected by law from destructive fishing. A new report from Oceana UK states that, backed with satellite tracking data, offshore MPAs alone suffered over 20,600 hours of suspected bottom-trawling in 2024.

It’s found that a mix of countries were responsible for the suspected trawling in UK waters, with French vessels assigned to 55% of the tracked hours and UK vessels 19%. The remaining fishing was split into small shares between a wider group of states.

On the EU Court ruling issued this week, Amy Hammond, campaign lead for Oceana UK, said: “This is an absolute win for the ocean. In confirming that marine protected areas must be properly protected from bottom trawling, the EU court sent a message that is vital for safeguarding our shared seas.

“In this significant victory, the court rejected a legal challenge from industrial fishing interests seeking to destroy crucial conservation measures in European MPAs. The writing is on the wall, and here in the UK the UK and Scottish Governments should take note – bottom trawling has no place in any marine protected area, anywhere.”

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