DEFRA gets in hot water over bottom trawling – as 200,000 people step in

On World Fisheries Day, Thursday 21 November, a coalition of ocean advocacy NGOs gathered outside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in London to deliver a petition signed by almost 200,000 people from across Europe. The petition calls for an immediate ban on bottom trawling fishing within the UK’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to protect these vital ecosystems from harm, and biodiversity in the oceans more broadly.

“Bottom trawling indiscriminately ploughs through precious marine habitats.  This destructive practice is allowed in the vast majority of so-called marine protected areas in the UK.  Blue Marine has been working to end bottom trawling in MPAs since 2010.  Banning bottom trawling from MPAs supports the recovery of habitats, fish stocks and low-impact fisheries.” -Clare Brook, Blue Marine Foundation CEO.

Read the full article here.