Following World Oceans Day yesterday, and on the one-year anniversary of a government pledge to bring forward a ban on bottom-trawling in UK seas, Chesterfield MP and Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Toby Perkins, presses the government to end the delay and bring forward these promised ocean protections.
Toby Perkins MP, as Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, has written today to the Secretary of State for Environment to ask the government for an update and timetable for implementation of the ban on bottom-trawling in more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in UK seas.
Bottom-trawling is a destructive method of fishing which drags heavy nets and chains along the sea floor. Last year’s David Attenborough documentary Oceans helped exposed the devastation this practice causes to marine life.
One year ago today, the government pledged to extend the ban on bottom-trawling. This was a welcome announcement, in line with the Environmental Audit Committee’s recommendation in its report last year on Governing the Marine Environment. These measures would help protect rare marine animals, as well as the delicate seabeds on which they rely, from indiscriminate and potentially irreversible damage.
The government did receive over 20,000 responses to the consultation, which has delayed its response, but one year on, and several months since the close of the consultation, the government are still yet to bring forward its plans to restrict bottom-trawling in more Marine Protected Areas.
Toby has heard from Chesterfield residents and people across the country who care about our oceans, urging the government to come forward with the bottom-trawling ban. He has also engaged with many environmental groups, such as Blue Marine Foundation, Rewilding Britain, and the Marine Conservation Society, who are supportive of the Environmental Audit Committee’s work on marine protection.
Toby Perkins MP said: “I was delighted that the government announced last year its plans to ban bottom-trawling in offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), following recommendations made by the Environmental Audit Committee.
Destructive practices like bottom-trawling damage the seabed and undermine the very marine protection that MPAs exist to defend. An approach of simply protecting specific features often fails to understand the complexity and inter-connectedness of the marine eco system.
Whilst the changes are important and must be done carefully, every further day of delay risks further destruction of our seabed. I urge the government to act swiftly and decisively to avoid more damage to marine habitats.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Today’s letter regarding the consultation on extending the bottom-trawling ban from EAC Chair to the DEFRA Secretary of State can be found online here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/53522/documents/298938/default/
- The EAC’s full report on Governing the marine environment can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8759/governing-the-marine-environment/publications/.