More than 1.3 million tonnes of fish were caught inside of the UK’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the four years since 2020, exposing – campaigners have said – the “stark difference” between the political promises and reality at sea. 

Nearly 40% of the UK’s seas are designated as MPAs. These areas are designated to protect marine wildlife and fragile habitats. Yet, analysis of European fisheries landing data shows that roughly 500 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of fish has been taken from these habitats since 2020. 

Most worryingly, the majority of this catch was taken via pelagic trawlers – vessels that use enormous nets up to 240 metres wide and 50 metres long, scooping up everything in their path. 

A quarter of a million tonnes were also caught using bottom-towed gear, like bottom trawlers, which devastate marine ecosystems on the seafloor.

Bottom-trawling is widely considered the world’s most destructive fishing method, causing high amounts of by-catch and releasing huge amounts of carbon back into the atmosphere.

As of 2024, the UK has designated 377 MPAs, covering nearly 350,000 square kilometres of UK waters. 

In 2020, a new law gave new powers to the government to restrict fishing for conservation purposes in UK coastal waters.

But MPAs work as tiered systems, and many in the UK are not designated as fully protected areas. 

Bylaws to ban bottom trawling remain in the consultation phase, and massive trawlers prowl some of the UK’s most sensitive marine ecosystems, despite major concerns about fish populations.

Public concern over fish stocks in the UK’s waters have increased in recent weeks, with supermarkets like Waitrose, and M&S assessing their mackerel stocks.

NGOs took the Dutch government to court last month for permitting bottom trawling in a protected area of the North Sea, alleging the administration had broken the law by allowing the destructive practice to take place.

Chris Thorne, Senior Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “The government claims vast areas of UK waters are protected, but the reality is a national scandal. Since 2020, more than 1.3 million tonnes of fish have been caught inside the UK’s so-called marine protected areas.”

“Protection means nothing if these hulking industrial trawlers are allowed to devastate crucially important areas. MPAs should be safe havens where our incredible marine life and ecosystems can recover and thrive. Instead they remain protected only on paper and precious ocean life is being pushed to the brink,” he added.

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