33,000 hours of trawling in UK protected marine areas during 2023
Calls are being made to end the destructive fishing practice, which is notorious for high rates of bycatch and damage to the seabed.
An analysis of satellite data by Global Fishing watch shows that despite the high number of trawling hours in UK waters, one-quarter of this damaging activity was caused by just 10 vessels.
None of those boats were registered in the UK, with British ships responsible for just 6% of the total number of trawler fishing hours recorded last year.
As a result of this practice, habitats are effectively being bulldozed beneath the surface of the sea, with potentially irreversible effects. Nevertheless, trawling is permitted by law in almost all UK marine protected areas [MPAs], designated in a bid to protect vulnerable species.
The two most exploited sites in the country were both located off the Cornish coast. These were the Western Channel MPA, which supports species including the small-spotted cat shark and angler fish, and the Southwest Deeps (East), home to one of Britain’s most-threatened molluscs, the fan mussel, alongsie cuckoo rays. The area also stores carbon equivalent to 1million return flights between London and Sydney, which is at risk of entering the atmosphere if the terrain is disturbed.
‘Our marine ‘protected’ areas are crisscrossed with the scars of this highly destructive form of fishing, which may take decades to heal. These areas are vital havens for ocean wildlife and protect us against the climate crisis,’ said Hugo Togholm, Executive Director at Oceana UK.
‘Everything from sharks to starfish are hoovered up by bottom trawling, which can destroy whole ecosystems and empty our seas of life. This also threatens communities seeking to make a sustainable living from our seas,’ he continued. ‘The government must act now to ban this destructive practice from all our marine protected areas. Anything less is a complete betrayal of our ocean wildlife, which urgently need sanctuaries that are safe from this wholesale destruction.’
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