Image: Fishing boat by Michel Stockman

A new report from marine conservation organisation Oceana claims that bottom trawling continues to pose a serious threat to the UK’s offshore marine protected areas (MPAs), with over 20,000 hours of suspected activity recorded in 2024 alone.

The report, titled The Trawled Truth, estimates that the suspected trawling would leave seabed tracks that could wrap more than eight times around the UK. According to Oceana, this activity undermines the purpose of MPAs, 90% of which they claim still permit bottom trawling despite their protected status. 

Oceana argues that the UK’s current approach to protecting marine habitats is ineffective, with only 38 out of 377 MPAs fully closed to bottom trawling. The group describes the network as “little more than a sham” and calls for comprehensive reforms to better safeguard marine ecosystems.

Bottom trawling involves dragging nets across the seafloor, which Oceana says damages seabed habitats and indiscriminately removes marine life. The organisation points to government assessments showing most seabed habitats around the UK are in ‘poor status’, with trawling cited as a key contributor.

Using satellite tracking data, the report identifies that French and UK vessels were responsible for the majority of the activity, accounting for 55% and 19% of the recorded trawling hours respectively. Three MPAs—two off the coast of Cornwall and one west of Scotland—saw the highest levels of suspected trawling, with a combined 8,597 hours logged.

Oceana contends that the figures likely underestimate the real impact, as inshore areas and Norwegian vessels were not included in the analysis due to data limitations.

The report also cites economic research suggesting that a full ban on bottom trawling in offshore MPAs could deliver a net benefit of up to £3.5 billion over 20 years, through improved biodiversity, fisheries, tourism, and carbon storage. Oceana say that polling they commissioned indicates strong public support, with 80% of UK adults reportedly in favour of such a ban and many incorrectly assuming it is already in place.

Criticising the government’s current policy, Oceana says that existing measures often protect only specific seabed features, such as reefs, rather than entire sites. This approach, the report argues, fragments habitats and limits their ability to recover. Citing the example of Lyme Bay in England, Oceana claims that full-site protection was significantly more effective and more cost-efficient to enforce than feature-based restrictions.

The UK Government had previously committed to introducing legislation to limit bottom trawling in MPAs by the end of 2024. However, Oceana highlight that that deadline has now passed without new laws being enacted or a revised timeline announced.