UK MPAs are a ‘sham’, says Oceana
2025-05-21T10:08:00
The UKs offshore marine protected areas were subjected to over 20,600 hours of suspected bottom trawling in 2024, according to a new report by Oceana UK
The hours of trawling, equivalent to dragging heavy gear across the seabed eight times around the UK, occurred despite these areas being labelled as ‘protected’, it alleges.
Oceana’s report, The Trawled Truth, highlights that only 38 of the UK’s 377 MPAs are legally shielded from bottom trawling, which is allowed in 90% of sites.