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Written question asked by Tristan Osborne (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 July 2026. It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Friday, 17 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Marine Protected Areas: Bottom Trawling

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the more than 30,000 hours of apparent bottom trawling activity recorded in 2025 within a Marine Protected Area designated for the conservation of harbour porpoises in the North Sea on the conservation objectives of that site.

Answer

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) consulted last year on fisheries byelaws to restrict bottom trawling in a further 41 Marine Protected Areas. These proposals are substantial, covering 30,000 square kilometres or 13% of English waters and we must ensure we get them right. The MMO is carefully considering the very large number of responses received to the consultation, and decisions will be made in due course.

Internationally, we remain a leading advocate for ambitious ocean action. We continue to share the lessons we are learning from our UK experience through our membership of key alliances, whilst our scientific expertise, international finance and technical assistance continues to deliver real impact globally.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
18876
Session
2026-27
Registered interest declared
Yes
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Conservation Ports North Sea Porpoises Marine protected areas Bottom trawling
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk