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 (MPA) 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.
“The Netherlands has long-standing commitments under European and international law to protect the Dogger Bank from harmful human activities,” said Dr Tom Appleby, chief legal affairs adviser to Blue Marine Foundation.
The Dogger Bank, spanning the waters of the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark, is an ecologically important site, designated as protected in 2009. However, bottom trawling damages marine habitats and disrupts the ocean’s ability to store carbon, exacerbating environmental degradation.
“Marine Protected Areas should be sanctuaries, not grounds for destructive fishing practices,” said John Condon, marine conservation lawyer at ClientEarth. “These zones are meant to safeguard vulnerable 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. This current lawsuit follows a previously rejected administrative request to revoke fishing permits for bottom trawling.
This case follows similar legal actions in France, Spain and Germany, highlighting a growing movement to protect MPAs from harmful industrial activities. The NGO’s hope that a favourable ruling could set a precedent for stronger marine conservation efforts across the EU.
