The UK is implementing fishing bans within 13 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) off the English coast, enforced by the Marine Environmental Management Organization (MMO)*.
The decision, which came into force on March 22, is in line with the Environmental Improvement Plan unveiled on January 31, 2023, and aims to strengthen the protection of rocky and reef habitats that are home to fragile species such as pink gorgonians, sponges and worm reefs.
The ban covers an area of almost 4,000 km2, bringing the total surface area of MPAs subject to trawling restrictions to 18,000 km2. The MMO’s acting chief executive stressed, “This is an important step in our ambitious program to protect all 54 English MPAs from fishing activities by the end of 2024.” Notably, four MPAs had already been subject to similar trawling bans by June 2022, including the Dogger Bank, where fishing activity has drastically declined.
In addition, from April 1, a permanent ban on sandeel fishing in British North Sea and Scottish waters will come into force, with repercussions for Danish fishermen in particular. Sandeels are a vital source of food for seabirds such as puffins and marine mammals.
*The MMO is a non-ministerial public body created in 2009 by the Marine and Coastal Access Act, overseen by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, responsible for marine environmental protection.
