MP calls for ban on ‘bottom trawling’ of seabeds in marine protected areas
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A Labour MP has called for a blanket ban on “bottom trawling” of seabeds in marine protected areas (MPAs), which she said destroys fragile ecosystems and habitats. Katie White compared bottom trawling, which is the act of dragging heavy nets across the seabed, with “ripping up an orchard to pick an apple”.
One or two trawls can decimate an area for up to five years, the Leeds North West MP said, and currently only 5% of the UK’s marine protected areas ban this “destructive” practice. In the Commons, Ms White said the Marine Protected Areas (Bottom Trawling) Bill, which proposes to “ban bottom trawling in our marine protected areas”, will offer the opportunity of a “fairer, greener future”.
Ms White previously worked for the charity Friends of the Earth, during which she co-led a campaign for the Climate Change Act, which was passed in 2008. On Tuesday she told MPs “the health of our seas is not just an issue for coastal constituencies, it is a national responsibility”, adding that its ecosystems are “vital to our economy and communities, particularly our essential fishing industry”.
She continued: “While our seas work hard for us, they face growing pressures, and bottom trawling is one of the most destructive practices of all. “For members unfamiliar, destructive bottom trawling involves dragging heavy nets and metal work across our seabed, destroying fragile ecosystems and habitats that take decades or even centuries to recover.
