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Bottom Trawling: Marine Protected Areas — [Steve McCabe in the Chair]
28 June 2022
Lead MP
Chris Grayling
Epsom and Ewell
Con
Responding Minister
Victoria Prentis
Tags
ClimateAgriculture & Rural Affairs
Word Count: 3884
Other Contributors: 5
At a Glance
Chris Grayling raised concerns about bottom trawling: marine protected areas — [steve mccabe in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Minister should move faster on plans to ban bottom trawling in more MPAs beyond the initial four protected areas. The approach taken so far, including partial bans within MPAs, should be reconsidered to ensure uniform protection across all designated areas and effective policing of regulations.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The Government's marine protected areas (MPAs) are not effectively protecting the seabed, allowing large-scale trawlers to cause significant damage. Less than 100th of 1% of UK waters have the highest level of protection, where all fishing is banned, while 94% permit bottom trawling. This results in habitat degradation and destruction of critical marine ecosystems, including kelp and seagrass which are crucial for carbon absorption. There is an urgency to address this issue before further damage occurs.
A ban on bottom trawling in all MPAs would be supported by the Isle of Wight, combining with a Reserve Seafood brand to increase catches, job satisfaction, and prices for fish when fishing is done sustainably.
Peter Offord
Con
Hendon
Agreed on the need for tough enforcement against fishing vessels that break rules and damage ecology. Proposed banning vessels that turn off tracking systems from UK waters entirely.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Fishermen have a strong incentive to be environmentalists and future generations should benefit from consultation with long-standing fishermen in conversations regarding marine protected areas. Acknowledged the importance of protecting marine environments but emphasized the need for consideration of fishing communities' livelihoods, particularly those operating smaller boats. Noted that some ports manage their fisheries well and expressed support for steps to address issues with large vessels.
Luke Pollard
Lab Co-op
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
The time supertrawlers spent fishing in marine protected areas more than doubled to 2,913 hours in 2019 alone. There is an opportunity now to ban supertrawlers in every single MPA as a quick early win. The Minister is making a sound case of stating where we are up to. However, does she note that the supertrawlers, which the UK has none of and which plunder many of our MPAs, land their fish in foreign ports? Many of our bottom trawlers already fish outside MPAs and land in UK ports.
AIS systems on commercial fishing vessels need legislation to ensure they remain operational, following an incident where a vessel failed to display correct lights and turned off its AIS system.
Government Response
Victoria Prentis
Government Response
It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr McCabe. Our network of MPAs in England covers 40% of English waters with 178 designated sites; bottom trawling is already banned in 102 of them. The government recognises the need for balance between environmental protection and economic benefits for coastal communities. Approximately 45% of fish landed in the UK comes from bottom trawling, including cod, plaice, and scallops. Detailed site-by-site analysis has been conducted to determine the impact on MPAs; byelaws have been designed based on scientific advice for each area. The government aims to complete management measures for 23 offshore sites by 2024, engaging with the fishing industry throughout this process. Supertrawlers, while efficient at fishing, do not typically interact with seabed habitats protected by MPAs and require further policy scrutiny. Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) are being considered for five pilot sites to allow complete recovery of green ecosystems.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.