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Bottom trawling takes place in most English offshore MPAs. It rips up marine species and damages the seabed, a process that releases huge quantities of carbon into the water column and the atmosphere, impairing the sea’s ability to combat climate change.   

Bottom-towed fishing gear should be banned in all MPAs designated to protect the seabed. Eight in ten British adults think a destructive industrial fishing method should be banned in MPAs, a poll suggests. 

MPAs allow ecosystems to recover, providing safe havens for marine life, including endangered species. UK offshore MPAs were subjected to more than 33,000 hours of suspected bottom trawling in 2023 – equivalent to nearly four years of continuous trawling.   

In 2024, only 46 per cent of catch limits were set at sustainable levels. The new government had the opportunity to end overfishing by setting catch limits according to scientific advice and introducing measures to protect all fish species.    

Overfishing depletes fish stocks and disrupts ecosystems. Sustainable catch limits ensure that fish populations can reproduce and maintain healthy numbers.  

Some commercially important stocks, including populations of cod, whiting and pollock are now so depleted that scientists advise their catch limit should be zero.  

Just 26 vessels own 94 per cent of the UK´s mackerel quota, 93 per cent of the herring quota and 97 per cent of the blue whiting quota. In January 2024, there were 4,896 fishing vessels registered in the UK. A few big companies profit from this fishery, while the rest of the fishers are excluded.   

Small-scale fishers only have the means to fish inshore, but large-scale fishers can fish offshore and have a bigger catch. Small scale fishers are granted permits to catch fish that is no longer there.