197,437 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

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