Industrial supertrawlers are plundering Britain’s marine sanctuaries, dragging weighted fishing nets across the seabed and stripping vital habitats bare in a process known as bottom trawling.
But despite pledging to ban the practice in marine protected areas, the government just folded to the fishing lobby and said it would let bottom trawling carry on virtually unimpeded.
A Committee of MPs has written to the new environment secretary Emma Reynolds, urging her to reconsider. We can show that large numbers of citizens back their call.
Reynolds is new in the job and working out her priorities – right now is our best chance to win a change of direction. Sign now to help show that people across the UK want her to protect ocean life.
Bottom trawling is destroying vibrant kelp beds and seagrass meadows and killing endangered fish. And it releases as much CO2 as global aviation! It should never have been allowed in the first place.
The government is under growing pressure to outlaw this destructive practice, with David Attenborough calling it out in his latest documentary, and Sweden and Greece announcing bans.
Can you help increase the pressure and fight for ocean life? We’ve only got a small window to act – DEFRA is consulting on proposed changes to the rules right now.