Sea birds follow the German flagged trawler Maartje Theadora as it fishes for herring. This one and other big trawlers, factory ships, represented by the Dutch Pelagic Freezer-trawler Association (PFA) fish for herring in the English Channel around November and December every year during the Autumn Spawning season. Greenpeace is documenting these fishing practices. Official reports of former fishing activities in this region and season reveal how one vessel in one single trip dumped up to 600 tonnes of fish, the equivalent to 2 million meals. Photo Credit: Christian Åslund / Greenpeace
Environment European UnionOcean Victory in Curbing Harmful Fishing Practices
A European Union court ruled that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) must be protected from harmful fishing practices such as bottom trawling.
“This is an absolute win for the ocean. In confirming that marine protected areas must be properly protected from bottom trawling, the EU court sent a message that is vital for safeguarding our shared seas,” says Amy Hammond, the campaign lead for Oceana UK.
Bottom-trawling can be catastrophic to biodiversity as it involves fuel-intensive vessels that drag heavy metal gear and nets across the seafloor, bulldozing hundreds of thousands of marine life and habitats. Nearly 8 per cent of the ocean is currently considered part of the MPA network, and almost all of them still allow bottom-trawling. The recent groundbreaking ruling by the General Court of the European Union may lead to other nations and groups following suit, ensuring that MPAs are truly protected from harmful practices of all kinds, regardless of potential monetary profits.
