Environmental NGOs are filing a legal challenge against the Dutch government over the ongoing practice of bottom trawling in the Dogger Bank, a vital marine protected area in the North Sea

ClientEarth, Doggerland Foundation, Blue Marine Foundation and ARK Rewilding argue that the Dutch government’s approval of bottom trawling in the area violates EU conservation laws aimed at protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems.

While the UK has taken action by closing its part of the Dogger Bank to bottom trawling, EU countries have been slow to implement similar measures.