Citizens Urge EU to Better Manage Marine Protected Areas

This week representatives of small-scale fishers, scientists, citizens and civil society organisations handed in a petition to the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, signed by over 250,000 European citizens, calling to end bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs).

In doing so, they urge Commissioner Costas Kadis to fully implement the existing Habitats Directive, uphold the ambition of the 2023 EU Marine Action Plan and ensure the upcoming Ocean Pact addresses the continuous issue of bottom trawling in EU MPAs.

The hand-in by Patagonia, WeMove Europe, ClientEarth and organisations from the Protect our Catch campaign in Brussels is the culmination of a series of similar activities targeting national governments and supported by citizens in the UK, Germany and Spain at the end of last year.

The petition reinforces poll results from last year that found that 82% of citizens across seven EU countries believe in stricter regulation of bottom trawling, and 73% would support banning bottom trawling in EU MPAs.

It follows the release of David Attenborough’s film, Ocean, which shows previously unseen footage of bottom trawling.

Ahead of the third UN Ocean Conference starting June 9 in France, when nations are expected to announce new commitments, particularly concerning MPAs, the world will be looking at the ambition of Commissioner Kadis’s Ocean Pact. However, a recent leaked draft suggests it will hardly change the status quo for EU MPAs and will not even mention destructive fishing or bottom trawling.

Vera Coelho, deputy vice president at Oceana in Europe, said – on behalf of participating civil society organisations: “Citizens are calling for change – the continuous destruction by bottom trawling happening in marine protected areas is a problem that the EU cannot ignore any longer. The European Ocean Pact must finally ensure the real protection of EU marine protected areas, benefitting the ocean, fishers, and coastal communities. Doing so would mean the EU could lead by example globally on the 30×30 target at the upcoming UN Ocean Conference.”

The European Commission has a responsibility to ensure Member States are enforcing European environmental law when it comes to protecting their MPAs against destructive activities, including bottom trawl fishing. The EU has committed to the international UN target to conserve and effectively manage 30% of its waters by 2030. 

The organisations participating in the petition delivery are concerned about recent statements, including by Commissioner Kadis, in support of a “site-by-site” approach to protecting MPAs, because they say such an approach would be grossly inadequate to tackle the systemic nature of the problem and would not provide effective protection to the current 5,000 European MPAs.