An analysis unveiled on Thursday 20 March by several NGOs shows that many EU countries are failing to put an end to destructive fishing in protected areas.
According to Oceana, Seas At Risk and ClientEarth, no EU country has detailed plans to phase out destructive fishing, such as bottom trawling, from marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2030.
On the first anniversary of the deadline set for EU countries to submit roadmaps describing how they plan to phase out bottom trawling in their marine protected areas (MPAs) - a requirement of the EU Marine Action Plan - the analysis focuses on the roadmaps submitted by nine countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Spain).
It confirms that while some countries have put in place measures in certain GPAs, many areas remain threatened by bottom trawling, “which constitutes a possible violation of European environmental legislation”, according to these NGOs.
Link to analysis: https://aeur.eu/f/g0y (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)