Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

UN Ocean Conference

Tuesday 13 May 2025 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Sarah Champion asked the Government to take action on banning bottom trawling in marine protected areas at the upcoming UN Ocean Conference.
  • The Government is focusing on improving coastal communities' resilience to climate change through various programmes.
  • The climate and ocean adaptation programme includes protecting and restoring coastal habitats, supporting nature-based solutions, and improving small-scale fisheries management.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Champion Lab Rotherham
Climate Environment
Context

Sir David Attenborough’s latest film, “Ocean”, revealed the devastating impact of bottom trawling on marine environments. The UN ocean conference is scheduled to take place in four weeks.

Question

Sir David Attenborough’s latest film, “Ocean” revealed the shocking devastation caused by bottom trawling and asked the Government to take action at the UN conference in just four weeks. Will the Government use the conference to announce a ban on all bottom trawling in marine protected areas? Why has the Minister still not set out when we will ratify the ocean treaty, which will keep our small island developing states and overseas territories safe?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Catherine West)

The climate and ocean adaptation and sustainable transition programme is improving vulnerable coastal communities’ resilience to climate change, including: protecting and restoring coastal habitats; supporting nature-based solutions; improving small-scale fisheries management; and addressing the issue raised by my hon. Friend regarding the use of bottom-towed gear over rock and reef habitats in 13 Marine Management Organisation areas.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to banning all bottom trawling in marine protected areas at the conference or providing a specific timeline for ratifying the ocean treaty.

How: Under Review, Addressing

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email