197,298 of 250,000 signatures

The European Parliament and the European Commission

Petition

European countries claim to want to protect the ocean and restore biodiversity in this ecological and climate emergency. As such, the EU must finally phase out destructive fishing practices, starting with an immediate ban of bottom trawling in all Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This must be a commitment in the EU Action plan on oceans due to be released after the summer 2021.

Why is this important?

Fishing nets as tall as a three-storey building and as wide as a football field scoop up the seabed everyday. In seconds, these nets destroy everything in their path, killing dolphins, seals, corals, seahorses and hundreds of other marine species.

This harmful industrial fishing practice is called bottom-trawling. [1] It’s happening right here in Europe, in the jewel of our oceans, inside Marine Protected Areas. [2]

The EU claims to protect our seas and restore biodiversity in this ecological and climate emergency, yet they still have not banned the disgraceful and destructive practice of bottom-trawling in “protected” areas.

With every day that passes, bottom-trawling destroys more and more marine life living on the seafloor and irreversibly damages our fragile marine ecosystems. Let’s show an outpouring of support from thousands of us to ensure that marine life is immediately protected from this unacceptable destruction.


References:

  1. https://europe.oceana.org/en/publications/reports/unmanaged-unprotected-europes-marine-paper-parks
  2. https://europe.oceana.org/en/publications/reports/unmanaged-unprotected-europes-marine-paper-parks

In partnership with:

Tweet to Andrey KOVATCHEV, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI and Dacian CIOLOS

Tweet at our Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and tell them why it’s time to make history by listening to science and people: Protect our Ocean, Biodiversity and Climate. Ban bottom-trawling now!

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Mail The European Parliament and the European Commission

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We know Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will respond better if they receive personal messages.

Write and tell them why it’s time to make history by listening to science and people: Protect our Ocean, Biodiversity and Climate. Ban bottom-trawling now!

If you need inspiration check out a few arguments of why we need to stop this harmful fishing practice below that you could write in your own words in your email.

  • We create EU Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to protect the most precious and sensitive habitats and species in our waters, like coral, seagrass, turtles, sharks and dolphins. Yet the vast majority of MPAs do not have any real protection in place and allow the most destructive fishing.
  • Bottom-trawling is the most damaging type of fishing. It causes climate chaos by disturbing the seabed and releasing carbon into the atmosphere.
  • Bottom-trawling has been recognized by the European Environment Agency as the main cause of seabed destruction in Europe.
  • 86% of EU Marine Protected areas are put in danger by bottom-trawling.
  • If the EU does not act urgently to ban the most destructive fishing in its most vulnerable marine areas, it will fail to meet its own commitments to save biodiversity and to become climate neutral.
  • Marine Protected Areas can help marine life cope with global warming and climate change - but only if we stop destructive fishing in these areas. If we take care of our marine life, we can improve the overall resilience of our ecosystem.
  • The seabed is the world's largest carbon storage reservoir. A ban on bottom-trawling would prevent the disturbance and release of this carbon, and help to protect our planet from global warming.
  • Banning the most destructive fishing methods in our most precious marine areas is necessary to deliver on biodiversity, climate and ocean protection.
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Please can you chip in?

We need your support. WeMove Europe gets no funding from companies or governments. Only donations from people like you will enable us to convince Europe to listen to the people-power, not industrial fisheries that only care about profits!

Can you help us continue the fight to protect and restore our oceans and build a Europe that pushes for more sustainable and community-driven fishing, by giving a little today?

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