Greenpeace has raised concerns about bottom trawling, noise pollution and the protection of harbour porpoises in UK waters, while the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said existing legislation protects the marine environment and supports sustainable fishing. The comments follow a 2022 action in which activists dropped 18 rocks off the coast of Cornwall, prompting criticism from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).
A Defra spokesperson said: “We have strong legislation in place to protect the marine environment while supporting sustainable fishing and coastal communities.
“All marine reserves are protected by law, and in more than 100 areas harmful fishing activities are prohibited, and we are considering further restrictions where there is potential to benefit from doing so.
“Activities at sea should be carried out lawfully and with due regard to the safety of other sea users.”
Greenpeace added that bottom trawling could be withdrawn to help protect the harbour porpoise, a marine mammal found all along the UK coast, where fish stocks are scarce.
The organisation said noise pollution from trawling interferes with the porpoise’s ability to hunt, and that marine protected areas (MPAs) were designated to protect the species.
Rocks dropped off Cornwall
In 2022, activists dropped 18 rocks off the coast of Cornwall.
In response, the Marine Management Organisation, the government body responsible for managing coastal waters, said: “As the UK’s marine regulator, we are extremely disappointed that Greenpeace has chosen to take this action to drop rocks and form barriers, as we do not believe it is justified or helps protect our marine environment.”
Source: www.bbc.co.uk