UK government is not doing enough to protect offshore marine protected areas in England, says Greenpeace.
A recent consultation to manage fishing in MPAs is ‘sluggish and cumbersome’, ignoring the urgency of the oceans’ crisis and does not go far enough in protecting reefs, it says.
Whilst proposals include byelaws to protect 13 MPAs from bottom-trawling, Greenpeace is calling for a site-wide ban which will encompass other forms of industrial fishing.
“We have to cut through the government’s spin,” said head of oceans at Greenpeace UK Ariana Densham.
“They claim to be protecting all 40 English offshore MPAs but as long as supertrawlers and fly shooters are still allowed to plough our waters, leaving nothing for local fishermen to catch, there’s no way these plans can be called ambitious,” she added.
A new report released by Greenpeace finds that 92% of MPAs do not have site-wide protection against the most destructive types of shipping and 32% have no fishing restrictions across the majority of their sites.
“We need all destructive industrial fishing to be banned in every single MPA as soon as possible,” continued Ms Densham.
“Therese Coffey should use post-Brexit powers to immediately ban all forms of industrial fishing in MPAs, by adding a condition to boats’ fishing licences. She already has the power to do so - all she needs is the will to make it happen.”
