The conservation organization Oceana stated that unless conditions are imposed to protect marine habitats, the British government will issue fishing licenses to more than 1,000 British and EU vessels in 2022, which will allow bottom trawl fishing and dredging in marine reserves.
The organization warned in a letter to the Secretary of the Environment George Eustis that it is expected that the permit issued this month may violate British law, some of which have been seen by the Guardian. This includes the Habitat Directive, which aims to protect important marine ecosystems.
Bottom trawl fishing and dredging, which are highly destructive to the seabed, are still allowed in 97% of marine protected areas (Marine protected area). Nearly a quarter of the British territorial waters are protected areas, designed to protect important habitats and species, including harbour porpoises and dolphins. Marine protected areas are the most prominent feature of the government’s commitment to protect 30% of marine biodiversity by 2030.
Melissa Moore, UK Policy Director Oceania in Europe, Said she expects the permit will be issued this month. “These permits may be large super trawlers or scallop boats. Whether it is to catch dolphins or dredging the seabed, this legislation is preventive.
“The Habitat Directive stipulates that before you obtain a permit, you must prove that the permit will not have an impact on the site,” she said. “The government did not do this.”
Oceana’s analysis found that 39% of the 68,000 hours of fishing with damaged bottom-trailers carried out on the seabed in a protected area near the British coast last year were carried out by British ships, especially Scotland, 35% are from France, and the rest are from other EU countries.
According to the so-called benthic marine reserve-in order to protect species living on the seabed-so far, the government has only banned bottom trawling and dredging in two of its offshore marine reserves, and plans to prohibit additional Four marine protected areas, including the Dogger Bank. At the current rate of progress, Oceana estimates that it will take the UK until 2050 to properly protect all these vulnerable marine areas.
Moore said: “We need to immediately ban trawling and dredging in all offshore marine reserves and offshore areas. Continue to permit this destructive activity, when we know the damage it causes, and it is illegal under various environmental laws, beggars Believe it. A simple permit condition should prohibit fishing in marine protected areas.”
She said that protecting marine habitats will help protect us from the climate crisis by sequestering and storing carbon.
In the letter, Oceana stated that the government had failed to properly assess any significant impact of the upcoming permit on the special protected area in accordance with the requirements of the Convention. Article 28 of the Offshore Habitats OrdinanceOceana also warned that the government may fail to comply with the requirement to maintain Achieve “good ecology” status by December 2020 And may violate its responsibility to protect the marine environment Fisheries Law, If the license is granted without the necessary conditions.
A recent study estimated that Fishing boats trawling along the seabed release as much carbon as the aviation industry It is emitted into the atmosphere every year, and carbon emissions from British waters are the fourth largest trawl catches in the world.
In April, after Oceana raised legal issues, the government promised to implement fisheries management in all its marine protected areas by 2024.
Greenpeace describes bottom trawl fishing in marine reserves as “removing national parks.” Will McCallum, head of oceans at Greenpeace in the United Kingdom, said: “It turned the ocean floor into a disaster zone, and in the process released carbon that heats the earth. It should be banned.
“So far, this destructive fishing method has been restricted in only two of the 64 marine protected areas-which is a joke. If the government says a word about becoming a global ocean champion, then the least they can do is ban Bottom trawl fishing and dredging in some of our most precious marine environments.”
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment, food The Ministry of Rural Affairs stated: “In order to protect our important fish stocks, all EU vessels approved to fish in British waters must comply with British rules and regulations, including those related to sustainability.
“We have stopped Pulse trawl It is carried out by vessels registered in British waters by the European Union and the United Kingdom, and is working closely with the industry to address their concerns about bottom trawl fishing. Now that we have left the European Union, MMO [Marine Management Organisation] We also consulted on additional safeguards for several of our offshore marine protected areas. “
The Scottish government stated that by 2026, it will exclude all fishing activities in 10% of its waters.A spokesperson said: “As Government plan, We will provide fishery management measures for existing marine protected areas that have not yet been put in place and major coastal biodiversity sites outside of these locations by March 2024 at the latest.
“We will also designate a highly protected marine area that will exclude all fishing activities and cover at least 10% of our oceans by 2026.”
