Several NGOs, including Oceana, have called once again on Tuesday 26 April for a ban on destructive fishing practices, including bottom trawling, in marine protected areas.
The call comes as the European Parliament is due to vote on 3 May on a report by Isabel Carvalhais (S&D, Portugal) on the blue economy (see EUROPE 12913/17).
The draft report calls on the EU to “ban the use of bottom trawling in all marine protected areas” and to ensure that EU fisheries aid helps with the transition of EU fishing fleets to use “more selective and less damaging” fishing techniques.
The draft report welcomes the European Commission’s commitment to designate the three large marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean, but is disappointed that the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CAMLR) has once again failed in 2021 to reach an agreement on these protected areas.
A study by Oceana found that fisheries activities take place in 86% of ‘protected’ European waters, often using equipment that damages the seabed (see EUROPE 12857/23).
The European Commission has warned as part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy that less than 1% of the EU’s marine area falls under strict protection. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)