Habitats
The consultation, led by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Defra, runs for 12 weeks from Monday to September 1. The proposed measures would add to the approximately 18,000 km2 of English seabed already protected from bottom-towed fishing gear.
MPAs are areas of the ocean established to protect habitats and species essential for healthy marine ecosystems, allowing vulnerable, rare and important marine life to recover from damaging human activities.
Bottom trawling and other forms of destructive fishing are permitted in UK waters but conservationists have long been campaigning for a full ban across all marine protected areas.
There are 181 MPAs, including three highly protected marine areas (HPMAs), covering 93,000km² or 40 per cent of English waters.
The measures aim to protect marine habitats ranging from subtidal sandbanks to gravels to muds, and support important marine species such as lobster, clams, soft corals and langoustines.
Destructive
A ban on bottom trawling in these areas could help conserve valuable and rare marine life, and allow seabeds to recover from damage caused by destructive fishing practices.
It could lead to healthier marine ecosystems across English waters, support greater biodiversity and help preserve vulnerable underwater life.
New management measures for fishing in 42 MPAs in English waters – a ban on bottom-towed fishing in 41, and the prohibition of fishing using traps in a specified area – are among the proposals.
Mr Reed said: “Bottom trawling is damaging our precious marine wildlife and habitats. Without urgent action, our oceans will be irreversibly destroyed – depriving us, and generations to come, of the sea life on which we all enjoy. The government is taking decisive action to ban destructive bottom trawling where appropriate.”
Ratified
The world will also be watching at the summit in Nice to see which countries ratify the UN High Seas Treaty – a pact to establish protected areas across international waters.
The ocean treaty, which was agreed by 193 countries two years ago, will not come into force until ratification by 60 countries but just over half of that number have done so.
The UK Government is among those that have been criticised by environmentalists for not yet ratifying the treaty or at the very least announcing a timetable to introduce the legislation required.
Asked last week whether there has been any progress, nature minister Mary Creagh told the PA news agency: “We need a legislative slot in Parliament’s timetable.
“Any international treaty has to be done by the Foreign Office. We have had discussions with Foreign Office ministers. I am confident the treaty will be ratified but it will be ratified in due course.”
This Author
Helen William is a reporter with PA. Rebecca Speare-Cole is the sustainability reporter at PA. This article has been edited by The Ecologist online.