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Stephen Eades – Are we banning bottom trawling in our inshore waters and Marine Protected Areas? – Sep 2025

If you believe that trawling the seabed should be banned, now is your chance to tell Government your feelings about bottom trawling, especially if you have seen the David Attenborough film Ocean and appreciate the huge damage it does.

Government is currently proposing to ban bottom trawling in 42 offshore English marine protected areas (MPAs), having earlier banned it, selectively, in 14 offshore English MPAs. You have until 29th September to tell Government your thoughts about its new proposals, and an online form can be accessed here. You can submit your general comments and, if you wish, comment on individual MPAs and there is a map identifying them.

There are a number of things to be aware of, and you may wish to comment on them.

• Bottom trawling will only be banned selectively, i.e. in parts of each MPA, and not throughout the whole MPA. As a result, the ban will be focused on trying to protect particular conservation feature in each MPA.

• Earlier restrictions on trawling in 13 MPAs in 2024 were also partial and selective and only banned trawling in parts of each MPA and not throughout the whole MPA. Is this really sensible and sufficient? In a still earlier ban in 2023 on bottom trawling within 4 MPAs, which included the Dogger Bank MPA, the ban was total. Therefore, you may consider that a total ban should also be the case with the 42 MPAs currently being considered.

• There are actually 181 MPAs in English seas. English seas are administratively divided into inshore waters and offshore waters.

Inshore waters cover the sea from the coast out to 6 nautical miles, and fishing within them is regulated by regional Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs). To find and contact you IFCA, click on “information and resources” to be found in this link, and then via the top bar of this link’s website.

Offshore waters are the sea beyond 6 nautical miles, and extend out to 200 nautical miles. Offshore seas are administered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The current consultation and designation of MPAs for a possible ban on bottom trawling is limited to offshore MPAs, and does not cover inshore MPAs.

Some MPA boundaries cross the boundary between inshore and offshore waters, and the majority of MPAs are largely in inshore waters. Therefore, the present Government consultation to ban bottom trawling in MPAs is very limited, and only affects a small proportion of all English MPAs.

• If you want to see bottom trawling banned in inshore MPAs, then you will have to contact your IFCA and ask them what their policy is – see above link.

Clearly, if David Attenborough’s wish to see bottom trawling banned in our seas is to become a reality, Government is going to have to change its policies and do a great deal more than it is proposing at the moment. You may wish to say so in your general comments to the MMO in the current consultation.

So, are we really banning bottom trawling in our inshore waters and MPAs?

Do not be fooled, the answer is we are only doing a little in a limited manner in some places. However, as to a ban in all are inshore waters that are the nursery grounds for fish and so would benefit enormously from a ban, the answer is: No. As to a ban in all MPAs, the answer is that only a possible 59 out of 181 are actually being considered at present.

We really do have a long way to go before we truly restrict this very damaging fishing method that has largely removed all commercial fish from our seas, and is preventing them from regenerating.

Now is the time and your chance to say so. And, if you want to know whether your MP is any good, tell them as well. You can contact them here.

If you are wondering whether things are any better in Scotland’s seas regarding bottom trawling, have a look here. Nevertheless, some action is being taken, see here. In Wales, a ban on bottom trawling is very limited but it is being debated, see here.