Transport Online – Environmental organizations request EU ban on bottom trawls
BRUSSELS – Environmental groups are asking the European Commission to ban bottom trawl fishing in the EU, starting with an immediate ban in all protected areas. Bottom trawls are the most in-depth method for the environment and climate, according to organizations such as Oceana, Our Fish and Seas At Risk. In Europe, the fishing method is responsible for 50 percent of the degradation of the seabed, they say.
In Brussels, the organizations presented a petition signed by 150,000 citizens to European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius (Environment, Oceans and Fisheries), asking the European Union to phase out destructive fishing practices. They want the ban on bottom trawls to be included in legislation on the conservation of fish stocks and the protection of marine ecosystems.
The petition was structured as a 1.5 m by 2.5 m pop-up book in which Sinkevičius and Vice-President Frans Timmermans (Climate) play the leading role. Frans and Virginijus’ ocean adventure tells how the EU has a chance to turn the tide, according to the organisation.
Destructive Fishing Techniques
“Destructive fishing techniques such as bottom trawls, inland protected areas at sea, and beyond must end,” said Tobias Troll of Seas At Risk. “To protect biodiversity and provide a good life for future generations of small-scale fishermen and coastal communities, we need a just transition to low-impact fisheries.”
In July, an EU ban on pulse trawl fishing, a Dutch invention, came into effect. With this recommended sustainable method, flatfish are startled by current pulses from the bottom and they swim in the fishing net. Since the ban, look for an alternative method of catching these flatfish. The University of Wageningen received another grant of 1.3 million euros in September.