Revised approach to fishing in European Marine Sites: A status report

The report evaluates the initial phase of Defra's revised approach to fishing in European Marine Sites in England, specifically analyzing 17 new 'red risk' byelaws. While acknowledging progress in protecting over 5,680 square km from bottom-towed gear, the authors identify significant legal failures where socio-economic interests were prioritized over environmental obligations. Key concerns include the inadequate protection of Sabellaria spinulosa reefs due to a focus on 'core' areas rather than historical distribution, and the lack of 'lashed and stowed' gear requirements in several byelaws, which hinders enforcement. The report recommends a strict application of the precautionary principle for the next phase, particularly regarding sandbank features in Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).

• The first stage of the revised approach resulted in 17 new byelaws that prohibit bottom-towed fishing gear in sensitive parts of 25 European Marine Sites, protecting more than 5,680 square km of English seas.
• Several byelaws are rated as 'poor' because regulators prioritized the socio-economic interests of fishers over the legal requirements of Article 6 of the Habitats Directive, which does not allow for socio-economic derogations.
• Protection for Sabellaria spinulosa reefs is often inadequate because byelaws focus on 'core' areas and fail to account for the ephemeral nature and historical distribution of the reefs.
• In the Thanet Coast SAC case study, the Kent and Essex IFCA rejected a proposal to close the entire site to bottom-towed gear despite advice from Natural England, resulting in a compromise that left the Gore Channel open despite evidence that protected chalk reef may exist there.
• Enforcement of fishing prohibitions is compromised in byelaws that do not include a 'lashed and stowed' requirement, as it is difficult for officers to prove a transiting vessel is actually fishing.
• For the next phase of the revised approach, the report argues that sandbank features in SACs should be closed to bottom-towed fishing if site-specific assessments cannot prove the absence of adverse effects, due to the mobile nature of these features.

APA

ClientEarth (2014). Revised approach to fishing in European Marine Sites: A status report. https://www.clientearth.org/media/s5ll22ad/revised-approach-to-fishing-in-european-marine-sites-a-status-report-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Revised approach to fishing in European Marine Sites: A status report. 2014. https://www.clientearth.org/media/s5ll22ad/revised-approach-to-fishing-in-european-marine-sites-a-status-report-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=Revised approach to fishing in European Marine Sites: A status report |date=December 2014 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/s5ll22ad/revised-approach-to-fishing-in-european-marine-sites-a-status-report-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2014revised, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Revised approach to fishing in European Marine Sites: A status report}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/s5ll22ad/revised-approach-to-fishing-in-european-marine-sites-a-status-report-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }