A bottom trawl ban in marine protected areas would be good for everyone
Bottom trawling is rife in marine protected areas across the UK and EU. Allowing this is endangering our ocean, our climate and our coastal communities. The damage caused by trawling and dredging in marine protected areas (MPAs) should not be underestimated. Weighted nets scour and scar the seabed, destroying habitat — especially the refuges of young wildlife — and uprooting the foundations of ocean ecosystems. This industrial extraction is also indiscriminate, and levels of untargeted bycatch are among the highest of any form of fishing. Over 400 million tonnes of untargeted marine life have ...