European seas provide invaluable benefits for regional and global climate stability, biodiversity, food security, and livelihoods. Yet over 60% of so-called marine protected areas are being bottom-trawled, costing the EU an estimated €11 billion annually.
We urge you to participate in the debate and back the following core commitments, which are critical to the success and ambition of the Oceans Pact:
Set legally binding targets to protect 30% of EU seas, including 10% under strict protection.
Ban bottom trawling and destructive fishing in all EU marine protected areas.
Enforce science-based management of marine protected areas across all EU waters.
Protect carbon-rich seabeds, particularly from seabed-interacting fishing gear.
Reserve coastal zones for low-impact fishers and other sustainable activities, to support a fair and just transition towards sustainable activities.
When properly managed, marine protected areas significantly boost the productivity of fisheries, recreation, and tourism — and strengthen the prosperity of coastal communities across EU regions.
Research has forecasted that a ban on bottom trawling in offshore MPAs would produce a return of €3.41 for every €1 spent — with a cumulative profit of more than €8 billion over a 20-year period. But our priorities are backwards. Small-scale fishers make up 76% of Europe’s fleet, but only receive 7% of the subsidies.
More than 250,000 EU citizens have called on you to act (1, 2).
We’re counting on your leadership to truly protect our ocean — and the communities who depend on it.
