EU under pressure to ban destructive bottom-trawling fishing practices

Environmental groups are pushing EU leaders to ban destructive fishing practices in marine-protected areas (MPAs) — targeting French president Emmanuel Macron ahead of the UN Ocean Conference to be hosted by the country in June.

A coalition including Blue Marine Foundation and Oceana published an open letter on Wednesday (5 February) also addressed to EU fisheries commissioner Costas Kadis, warning that continued bottom trawling threatens marine biodiversity and small-scale fishing communities.

Bottom trawling is a fishing method in which heavy nets are dragged along the seabed, tearing up the ocean floor — a crucial carbon sink. Another destructive consequence is the indiscriminate capture of marine life.

Over 90 percent of bycatch dumps are linked to bottom trawling. The EU has prohibited the illegal dumping of unintended bycatch since 2015.

In 2023, the commission proposed an action plan to ban bottom trawling by 2030 in marine protected areas, which help recover fish stocks and support sustainable fishing jobs, but only half of member states have submitted plans to achieve this goal.

Recent estimates suggest that the practice remains as widespread as it was back in 2009, indicating that bottom trawling continues to threaten marine ecosystems and artisanal fishers alike. This is despite polls showing that 73 percent of the European public supports a ban on the practice.

In January, the commission presented its vision to avert fishing becoming a ‘folklore’ past, but was criticised for the lack of participation of fishermen.