Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 12 October 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 20 October 2004. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Wednesday, 20 October 2004 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect ocean-bed corals, with particular reference to bottom-trawling.

Answer: Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to protect ocean-bed corals, with particular reference to bottom-trawling. [191137] Mr. Morley: The UK secured permanent protection for the Darwin Mounds cold water corals from bottom trawling through a Council Regulation agreed at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in March 2004. This made permanent the emergency protection that was put in place from August 2003 under the revised Common Fisheries Policy. At the meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in February, the UK and EU were instrumental in calling for urgent action to protect vulnerable marine biodiversity from destructive practices in areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. We are pressing for this year's United Nations General Assembly resolution on "Oceans and the law of the sea" to set out how this can best be achieved.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 425 c695W; 191137
Session: 2003-04
Subjects: Coastal areas Environment protection Nature conservation Scotland Seas and oceans Coral Coral reefs Bottom trawling Darwin Mounds
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk