Overdue bottom trawling ban will benefit all of us

Bottom trawling is destroying the most vulnerable areas of our oceans. Huge chains dragging heavy nets smash through the seabed, devastating the delicate habitats that sea creatures rely on for their survival. The impact is staggering, causing untold damage not only to our supposedly protected sea beds, but to nature as a whole.  If we care about protecting nature, we must care about protecting the oceans that cover two-thirds of our planet’s surface. 

Our seas will be irreversibly damaged if we don’t act urgently.  The beauty, diversity and abundance of our oceans is vanishing because we’ve let it happen – but it’s not too late to change course.    

This Government is determined to protect and restore our oceans to good health. That’s why we have now committed to banning destructive bottom trawling where it is damaging protected seabed habitats.  

Tomorrow at the UN Oceans Conference in France, I’ll announce the government’s plans to ban bottom trawling across 41 protected areas of English seas spanning 30,000 square kilometres. This will help conserve vulnerable underwater life and allow the seabed to recover from the damage caused by this destructive practice.

No one has a greater stake in a healthy marine environment than the fishing industry. We will support it to move to more sustainable models of fishing that are better for fishing communities as well as for the health of our seas.

Our proposals will be a big step towards meeting our commitment to help protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. The government is committed to ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty, that will help ensure our seas remain productive and healthy for generations to come.