Official steps indicate Brussels will prohibit trawling in marine protected areas. The plan targets 30% of Community waters by 2030. This morning the European Commission released communications to Member States as scheduled, outlining a roadmap to ban trawling. The measure will be effective in at least 20% of each country’s sea waters within one year, with March 2024 set as a key milestone.
The European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, spoke at a press briefing about these actions. He emphasized that the goal is to restore marine ecosystems and lessen the impact of fishing on the marine environment.
The objective is to ban trawling in at least 20% of each country’s sea waters by March 2024.
He acknowledged that the task is difficult. In remarks gathered by European Press, he noted that the transformation will be gradual and will rely on dialogue among all communities to lay the foundations for a profitable, sustainable, and durable fishing industry.
The “Action Plan to Protect and Restore Marine Ecosystems for Sustainable and Resilient Fishing” sets out that member states should implement national measures or submit joint recommendations to phase out trawling in all existing protected areas and avoid it in newly created areas. The aim is to remove this method nationwide by 2030.
The planning for each country should include details on the national context, identifying areas where trawling should be prohibited, outlining country commitments to create new marine protected areas by 2030, and detailing fleets affected by the measures in those zones.
Additionally, by mid-2023, EU countries must finalize limits on the maximum seabed area that can be adversely affected or lost due to human activity and adopt national measures without delay or implement applicable common recommendations for these thresholds.
The Commission will monitor progress. It will coordinate joint recommendations within regional groups of Member States and support solutions to limit the impacts of bottom fishing.
The action plan is part of a broader maritime policy package under the Biodiversity Strategy. It includes three other documents: an assessment of the Common Fisheries Policy, an evaluation of the organization of the common market for fisheries and aquaculture, and a strategy for transitioning the energy sector for the fisheries community.
COP15
In line with commitments made at COP15 in Montreal (Canada) as part of a new global biodiversity framework, the EU has pledged to boost legal protection of its seas. The target is to expand marine protected areas from the current 12% to 30% by 2030 under the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
Brussels’ package also includes promoting an energy transition to help the industry adapt ships and equipment, improve working conditions, and shift toward renewable and low-carbon energy sources.
Industry response
Brussels describes trawling as one of the most common and damaging activities for the seafloor and the environment. The plan has drawn criticism from industry groups, including the European Bottom Fishing Association (EBFA), which opposes the phase-out.
According to the EBFA, 25% of EU fish production and roughly 7,000 boats could be affected.
Europêche argued that environmental protection must be balanced with the need for food production. They warned that turning seas into marine refuges could have costly consequences for biodiversity and fisheries worldwide.
Sinkevicius clarified that the Commission did not impose a ban outright. Instead, it urged Member States to implement relevant measures by March 2024 and to evaluate those measures before proposing legislation. The process is meant to progress with care, upholding social, economic, and environmental principles that support a sustainable and profitable fishing industry.
He recalled that Brussels has proposed a new fisheries and oceans agreement as a fresh phase of cooperation. A key issue raised in consultations is the need to build trust and collaboration among stakeholders to foster mutual understanding and successful execution.