On Tuesday 16 April, several NGOs launched a campaign calling on the EU to take tougher action against EU countries that still allow bottom trawling in their Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
A report by the Marine Conservation Society, Seas At Risk and Oceana shows that this “destructive fishing practice” still takes place in 90% of the EU’s MPAs. In the six countries analysed (Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden), 4.4 million hours of apparent bottom trawling were allowed in MPAs between 2015 and 2023, the equivalent of more than 500 years of trawling.
The Netherlands recorded the highest number of hours spent bottom trawling in the sites studied, followed by Germany, Denmark and Spain.
In addition, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) published an opinion on 15 April stating that closing 30% of the North Sea, Celtic Sea and Baltic Sea waters to bottom trawling would result in minimal reductions of landing values and significant benefits for marine ecosystems.
See the report by Marine Conservation Society, Seas At Risk and Oceana: https://aeur.eu/f/bry
See the ICES opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/brz (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)