In 2023, commercial fishing vessels equipped with dredges and bottom-trawling gear spent more than 33,000 hours operating in the U.K.’s offshore marine protected areas, according to ocean advocacy group Oceana U.K. The organization used satellite data to monitor commercial fishing activity across 63 offshore benthic MPAs in U.K. waters, which are intended to protect marine biodiversity. This fishing activity took place over the course of the year. The analysis revealed that despite their protected status, MPAs in the U.K. are hotbeds of fishing activity, raising concerns about the fishing industry’s impact on sensitive marine ecosystems, especially for life on the seafloor. It also revealed that just 10 vessels were responsible for a quarter of this bottom-trawling activity. These findings beg the question: what is the point of these MPAs if they cannot perform their function of protecting marine biodiversity? How do MPAs work in the U.K.? MPAs are areas of the ocean where certain activities are restricted or prohibited to protect marine ecosystems or to promote sustainable fisheries. There are many different types of MPAs, each imposing different rules in terms of extractive activities and access. For instance, “no-take” MPAs forbid any type of extraction and offer the highest level of protection for marine life. Locally managed marine areas may allow community members to fish within some parts but enforce closed seasons or limits that promote population recovery. The U.K. has a network of 374 MPAs and other protected areas covering 38% of its waters. These include highly protected marine…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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