A ban on a “destructive” form of fishing that involves dragging heavy nets along the seabed could soon be extended across English waters, the government has announced.
The proposal would increase the area where bottom trawling is prohibited from 18,000km² to 48,000km² (approximately 18,500 square miles) within the UK’s offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). A 12-week consultation with the fishing industry will now take place.
Ahead of the UN Ocean Summit, Sir David Attenborough expressed his dismay at the practice, telling Prince William he was “appalled” by the method.
His latest documentary Ocean With David Attenborough features striking new footage of a bottom trawling net ploughing through seabed silt and indiscriminately capturing marine life.
MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee have renewed calls for a ban on bottom trawling, dredging, and seabed mining within MPAs.
The proposed extension would cover 41 of England’s 181 MPAs, aiming to safeguard vulnerable marine species and the fragile habitats they depend on.
The government says detailed assessments have been carried out to evaluate the damage caused to marine ecosystems.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed warned that “without urgent action, our oceans face irreversible destruction”.
However, Mike Cohen, chief executive of the UK’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, criticised the plan as “disappointing” and questioned the claims around its environmental impact.
“Trawling does not damage most of the seabed. Trawls penetrate the sediment very little, if at all, in most areas and trawling has been carried out for well over 100 years,” he said.
“Sensitive seabed features present today have survived more than a century of fishing, suggesting either that trawling does not happen in those places or that they are not sensitive to it,” Mr Cohen added.
The 12-week consultation, open until 1 September, will gather views from stakeholders across the marine and fishing sectors.
Ariana Densham, head of oceans at Greenpeace UK, described the consultation as “a long-overdue conclusion to a process started under the previous government”.
The Wildlife Trust also welcomed the move, expressing hope that the ban would be implemented swiftly.
Joan Edwards, the Trust’s director of policy and public affairs, called it a “win-win for nature and the climate”.
19 more countries have ratified the UN High Seas Treaty – the world’s first treaty to protect and conserve marine biodiversity in international waters adopted in 2022 – bringing the total to 50. These included Albania, Bahamas, Belgium, Croatia, the Ivory Coast, Denmark, Fiji, Malta, Mauritania, Vanuatu, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vietnam.
Several countries have also indicated their intent to deposit their ratification instruments at the UN in the coming weeks and months.
While 136 countries have signed the treaty – including 20 at the summit – a minimum of 60 ratifications are required for the agreement to come into force. Once the number is reached, the treaty will enter into force within 120 days.
Meanwhile, on a global level, President Trump’s decision in April to issue permits for deep-sea drilling—aimed at extracting critical minerals—has sparked international controversy.
The move stands in contrast to more than a decade of global talks seeking agreement on how to manage and share deep-sea resources. China condemned it at the time as a “violation” of international law.
Over 2,000 marine scientists have urged a temporary halt to deep-sea exploration until more research is done to understand its potential impacts on marine ecosystems.
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