The European Bottom Fishing Alliance (EBFA) supports the EU’s ambition to protect and restore marine biodiversity and recognises Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as an essential conservation tool. However, MPAs are not exclusion zones, and their effectiveness depends on site-specific, science-based measures that are proportionate to clearly define conservation objectives.
The existing EU legal framework already provides robust mechanisms to assess environmental risks and adopt appropriate fisheries management measures where necessary. Blanket bans on fishing gears including bottom trawling depart from this risk-based approach and risk undermining both conservation outcomes and stakeholder support.
EBFA therefore highlights that:
- MPAs should be managed on a case-by-case basis, using the best available scientific evidence and incorporate tailored measures rather than automatic gear bans.
- Fishers are key in marine conservation, contributing to the identification, management and monitoring of MPAs, scientific data collection and the development of adaptive management measures.
- Blanket bans may generate unintended environmental consequences, leading to fisheries displacement and exporting environmental impacts outside the EU.
- The EU should accelerate the recognition of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), acknowledging the contribution of fisheries management to biodiversity conservation.
- Continue and adequately fund research into gear modifications that can reduce and minimise the impact of bottom trawls on the seabed.
Read the full position below:
Press contact
Margot Angibaud, Secretary of EBFA, info@bottomfishingalliance.eu (+32 494 19 03 96)
