Latest news with #marineprotectedareas
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK MPs call for ban on bottom trawling in protected marine areas
Ministers must ban bottom trawling for fish in marine protected areas, an influential group of MPs has said, because the destructive practice is devastating the seabed and marine life. The UK parliament's environmental audit committee called for a ban to encompass dredging and mining as well as the bottom trawling of fish in the 900,000 sq km covered by nearly 180 marine protected areas. Despite the name, these areas are open for many sorts of fishing, including bottom trawling – the practice of dragging immense and heavy nets across the seabed to scoop up all in their path, most of which is discarded while prized fish such as sole, cod and haddock are kept. 'Bottom trawling and scallop dredging are the most damaging forms of fishing,' said Jonny Hughes, senior policy manager at the Blue Marine Foundation thinktank and charity. 'They devastate the seabed and have amongst the highest rates of bycatch of any fishing method – most of this is simply thrown away. It is absurd and misleading to call any part of the ocean that allows these activities protected.' Campaigners have been calling for years for a ban, but public outcry has intensified since a film by Sir David Attenborough was released last month, to coincide with his 99th birthday. The film, Ocean – which was released in cinemas and will be available on streaming services in June – showed in detail some of the vital habitats raked by the massive nets that in effect plough up the seabed, leaving deep scars where it can take many years for marine life to recover. Toby Perkins, the chair of the Commons committee, said: 'Ministers must ensure that marine protected areas live up to their name. [They] have all the information they need to press ahead with banning bottom trawling in the offshore protected areas where it presents the most risk. Why the delay? Our oceans cannot afford any more prevarication. It is time to act.' The UK will send representatives to a UN oceans conference later this month. Ministers have previously indicated they could take action, and there are protections in place against damaging fishing practices in about 60% of the current marine protected areas but no full ban has yet been brought in. A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'Our precious marine animals and habitats have been under threat for too long. This government is committed to protecting and restoring our oceans to good health.'
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Fishy promises? Ocean protection goal drifts off course as US backpedals
BREST (France), June 3 — A global target of having 30 per cent of the oceans become protected areas by 2030 is looking more fragile than ever, with little progress and the United States backing away, conservationists say. 'With less than 10 per cent of the ocean designated as MPAs (marine protected areas) and only 2.7 per cent fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30 per cent target,' said Lance Morgan, head of the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington. The institute maps the MPAs for an online atlas, updating moves to meet the 30 per cent goal that 196 countries signed onto in 2022, under the Kunling-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ambition is notably at risk because 'we see countries like the US reversing course and abandoning decades of bipartisan efforts' to protect areas of the Pacific Ocean, Morgan said. That referred to an April executive order by President Donald Trump authorising industrial-scale fishing in big swathes of an MPA in that ocean. Currently, there are 16,516 declared MPAs in the world, covering just 8.4 per cent of the oceans. But not all are created equal: some forbid all forms of fishing, while others place no roles, or almost none, on what activities are proscribed or permitted. Fish farmers take part in trap fishing in a pond in the Dombes plateau, Saint Germain sur Renom in France. — AFP pic 'Only a third of them have levels of protection that would yield proper benefits' for fish, said Joachim Claudet, a socio-ecology marine researcher at France's CNRS. Daniel Pauly, a professor of fisheries science at Canada's University of British Columbia, said 'the marine protected areas have not really been proposed for the protection of biodiversity' but 'to increase fish catches'. A proper MPA 'exports fish to non-protected zones, and that should be the main reason that we create marine protected areas -- they are needed to have fish', he said. When fish populations are left to reproduce and grow in protected areas, there is often a spillover effect that sees fish stocks outside the zones also rise, as several scientific journals have noted, especially around a no-fishing MPA in Hawaiian waters that is the biggest in the world. One 2022 study in the Science journal showed a 54 per cent in crease in yellowfin tuna around that Hawaiian MPA, an area now threatened by Trump's executive order, Pauly said. Fishing bans For such sanctuaries to work, there need to be fishing bans over all or at least some of their zones, Claudet said. But MPAs with such restrictions account for just 2.7 per cent of the ocean's area, and are almost always in parts that are far from areas heavily impacted by human activities. Port Cros National park guard monitor and diver Vincent Bardinal observes marine plants known as Posidonia, the pearl of the Mediterranean sea, during a dive in the bay of La Palud off the National Park of the island of Port Cros in Hyeres, southeastern France, on May 8, 2025. — AFP pic In Europe, for instance, '90 per cent of the marine protected areas are still exposed to bottom trawling,' a spokesperson for the NGO Oceana, Alexandra Cousteau, said. 'It's ecological nonsense.' Pauly said that 'bottom trawling in MPAs is like picking flowers with a bulldozer... they scrape the seabed'. Oceana said French MPAs suffered intensive bottom trawling, 17,000 hours' worth in 2024, as did those in British waters, with 20,600 hours. The NGO is calling for a ban on the technique, which involves towing a heavy net along the sea floor, churning it up. A recent WWF report said that just two per cent of European Union waters were covered by MPAs with management plans, even some with no protection measures included. The head of WWF's European office for the oceans, Jacob Armstrong, said that was insufficient to protect oceanic health. Governments need to back words with action, he said, or else these areas would be no more than symbolic markings on a map. — AFP
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
World coming up short on promised marine sanctuaries
A global target of having 30 percent of the oceans become protected areas by 2030 is looking more fragile than ever, with little progress and the United States backing away, conservationists say. "With less than 10 percent of the ocean designated as MPAs (marine protected areas) and only 2.7 percent fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30 percent target," said Lance Morgan, head of the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington. The institute maps the MPAs for an online atlas, updating moves to meet the 30 percent goal that 196 countries signed onto in 2022, under the Kunling-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ambition is notably at risk because "we see countries like the US reversing course and abandoning decades of bipartisan efforts" to protect areas of the Pacific Ocean, Morgan said. That referred to an April executive order by President Donald Trump authorising industrial-scale fishing in big swathes of an MPA in that ocean. Currently, there are 16,516 declared MPAs in the world, covering just 8.4 percent of the oceans. But not all are created equal: some forbid all forms of fishing, while others place no roles, or almost none, on what activities are proscribed or permitted. "Only a third of them have levels of protection that would yield proper benefits" for fish, said Joachim Claudet, a socio-ecology marine researcher at France's CNRS. Daniel Pauly, a professor of fisheries science at Canada's University of British Columbia, said "the marine protected areas have not really been proposed for the protection of biodiversity" but "to increase fish catches". A proper MPA "exports fish to non-protected zones, and that should be the main reason that we create marine protected areas -- they are needed to have fish", he said. When fish populations are left to reproduce and grow in protected areas, there is often a spillover effect that sees fish stocks outside the zones also rise, as several scientific journals have noted, especially around a no-fishing MPA in Hawaiian waters that is the biggest in the world. One 2022 study in the Science journal showed a 54 percent in crease in yellowfin tuna around that Hawaiian MPA, an area now threatened by Trump's executive order, Pauly said. - Fishing bans - For such sanctuaries to work, there need to be fishing bans over all or at least some of their zones, Claudet said. But MPAs with such restrictions account for just 2.7 percent of the ocean's area, and are almost always in parts that are far from areas heavily impacted by human activities. In Europe, for instance, "90 percent of the marine protected areas are still exposed to bottom trawling," a spokesperson for the NGO Oceana, Alexandra Cousteau, said. "It's ecological nonsense." Pauly said that "bottom trawling in MPAs is like picking flowers with a bulldozer... they scrape the seabed". Oceana said French MPAs suffered intensive bottom trawling, 17,000 hours' worth in 2024, as did those in British waters, with 20,600 hours. The NGO is calling for a ban on the technique, which involves towing a heavy net along the sea floor, churning it up. A recent WWF report said that just two percent of European Union waters were covered by MPAs with management plans, even some with no protection measures included. The head of WWF's European office for the oceans, Jacob Armstrong, said that was insufficient to protect oceanic health. Governments need to back words with action, he said, or else these areas would be no more than symbolic markings on a map. aag/ico/cbn/rmb/dhw
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
World coming up short on promised marine sanctuaries
A global target of having 30 percent of the oceans become protected areas by 2030 is looking more fragile than ever, with little progress and the United States backing away, conservationists say. "With less than 10 percent of the ocean designated as MPAs (marine protected areas) and only 2.7 percent fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30 percent target," said Lance Morgan, head of the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington. The institute maps the MPAs for an online atlas, updating moves to meet the 30 percent goal that 196 countries signed onto in 2022, under the Kunling-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ambition is notably at risk because "we see countries like the US reversing course and abandoning decades of bipartisan efforts" to protect areas of the Pacific Ocean, Morgan said. That referred to an April executive order by President Donald Trump authorising industrial-scale fishing in big swathes of an MPA in that ocean. Currently, there are 16,516 declared MPAs in the world, covering just 8.4 percent of the oceans. But not all are created equal: some forbid all forms of fishing, while others place no roles, or almost none, on what activities are proscribed or permitted. "Only a third of them have levels of protection that would yield proper benefits" for fish, said Joachim Claudet, a socio-ecology marine researcher at France's CNRS. Daniel Pauly, a professor of fisheries science at Canada's University of British Columbia, said "the marine protected areas have not really been proposed for the protection of biodiversity" but "to increase fish catches". A proper MPA "exports fish to non-protected zones, and that should be the main reason that we create marine protected areas -- they are needed to have fish", he said. When fish populations are left to reproduce and grow in protected areas, there is often a spillover effect that sees fish stocks outside the zones also rise, as several scientific journals have noted, especially around a no-fishing MPA in Hawaiian waters that is the biggest in the world. One 2022 study in the Science journal showed a 54 percent in crease in yellowfin tuna around that Hawaiian MPA, an area now threatened by Trump's executive order, Pauly said. - Fishing bans - For such sanctuaries to work, there need to be fishing bans over all or at least some of their zones, Claudet said. But MPAs with such restrictions account for just 2.7 percent of the ocean's area, and are almost always in parts that are far from areas heavily impacted by human activities. In Europe, for instance, "90 percent of the marine protected areas are still exposed to bottom trawling," a spokesperson for the NGO Oceana, Alexandra Cousteau, said. "It's ecological nonsense." Pauly said that "bottom trawling in MPAs is like picking flowers with a bulldozer... they scrape the seabed". Oceana said French MPAs suffered intensive bottom trawling, 17,000 hours' worth in 2024, as did those in British waters, with 20,600 hours. The NGO is calling for a ban on the technique, which involves towing a heavy net along the sea floor, churning it up. A recent WWF report said that just two percent of European Union waters were covered by MPAs with management plans, even some with no protection measures included. The head of WWF's European office for the oceans, Jacob Armstrong, said that was insufficient to protect oceanic health. Governments need to back words with action, he said, or else these areas would be no more than symbolic markings on a map. aag/ico/cbn/rmb/dhw
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Beijing's marine science diplomacy can calm South China Sea tensions
The South China Sea has long been a flashpoint in geopolitical tensions, but beneath its contested surface lies one of the planet's most scientifically compelling marine frontiers. Home to an array of deep-sea ecosystems, hydrothermal vents, underwater mountain ranges and vast coral reef systems, the region is increasingly recognised as a natural laboratory for cutting-edge oceanographic research. Climate change , biodiversity loss and overexploitation are putting mounting pressure on marine environments worldwide. Amid this, the South China Sea stands out for its environmental significance as well as the diplomatic opportunity it presents: a chance to pivot from conflict to cooperation through shared scientific enterprise. In recent years, China has asserted itself at the centre of this emerging science-based diplomacy. With heavy investment in ocean technology scientific expeditions and international research partnerships , Beijing is now poised to take a leadership role in shaping a collaborative marine science agenda in the region. Central to this effort is the vision of building a network of marine protected areas across the South China Sea. Unlike isolated conservation zones , these areas are designed to function ecologically and operationally as interconnected systems. They facilitate the movement of marine species, enhance genetic diversity, provide resilience against climate stressors such as ocean acidification and warming seas, and serve as platforms for international research. Spanning around 3.5 million sq km, the South China Sea is one of the world's most ecologically and geologically rich marine regions with more than 3,000 fish species , vibrant coral reefs and largely uncharted deep-sea habitats. Its sea floor holds vital clues to the Earth's geological past and the unfolding story of global climate change. Marine scientists see this area as a treasure trove of research opportunities. A forum organised by the journal National Science Review at the Annual Conference of the South China Sea-Deep Programme, held in January in Shanghai, highlighted the region's significance as a 'fantastic natural laboratory' for deep-sea research and emphasised the importance of international collaboration in exploring and preserving these ecosystems.
