A group of twenty scientists have written to the Secretary of State, Steve Reed MP, to urge the UK government to ban the use of bottom-towed fishing gear within marine protected areas (MPAs) on a whole-site basis.

The academics say in their letter that ‘while the UK has designated more than 30% of its domestic waters as MPAs, almost all of these are currently little more than lines on a map, since they remain open to highly destructive bottom trawling and dredging.’

The group acknowledge that recent progress has been made and that byelaws introduced to restrict the use of bottom-towed fishing gear in four English MPA sites in 2021 and a further thirteen in 2023 are a ‘welcome start’. They go on to say that ‘however, in the majority of cases these byelaws provide only partial protection from destructive fishing practices as they apply to specific ‘features’ within the MPA rather than the MPA in its entirety.’

“Avoiding blanket bans”

At the recent Coastal Futures conference, Defra Minister, Emma Hardy MP, addressed the issue of fisheries management in UK MPAs. The Minister highlighted future consultations on the issue and said: “I know many of you will be frustrated that we didn’t hit the previous government’s goal of managing fisheries in our MPAs by the end of last year [2024]. We will be making progress on this, consulting thoroughly, engaging all of you here, and including our important fishing industry, and avoiding blanket bans”.

‘Lead by example’

The letter from the scientists to the Defra Secretary of State calls on the government to protect the MPAs in their entirety and closes with: ‘as your government consults on further protections for offshore MPAs in English waters, and ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in 2025, we urge you to lead by example in ensuring that these safe havens are wholly protected, and not in name alone.’

Photo: Daniel Pauly and Rashid Sumaila (l to r); Credit: Kim Bellavance

The letter was signed by internationally renowned fisheries scientists Dr Daniel Pauly and Dr Rashid Sumaila, alongside UK-based academics.