EU stops destructive deep sea fishing.

Zürich, Munich, September 15, 2022: The European Commission today announced the implementation of the Deep Sea Regulation and thus a fishing ban in 87 areas with sensitive and therefore vulnerable ecosystems in the deep sea in EU waters.

Deep-sea marine animals finally safe in EU coastal waters

Over 16,000 square kilometers of EU waters in the North-East Atlantic will be closed to bottom-contact fishing (i.e. bottom trawls and bottom longlines) in the deep sea. This will finally allow the urgently needed protection of cold-water deep-sea corals, aggregations of deep-sea sponges and other habitat-forming species in the deep sea off the coasts of Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal.

With this step, the Commission is now following its commitment under Regulation 2016/2336 on access to the deep sea for fisheries, which was adopted in 2016. In addition to the ban on bottom trawling below 800 meters, which came into force in 2016, the regulation also provides for the protection of endangered habitats with high biodiversity (commonly referred to as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems or VMEs) at depths between 400 and 800 meters, provided their existence is known or considered likely.

Implementation four years late

These ecosystems in the deep sea are particularly threatened by the destruction caused by bottom-contact fishing methods, i.e. deep-sea trawling and deep-sea longlining. The plan was for this access regulation to be implemented as early as 2018. However, because the EU Commission decided to hold extensive consultations with scientists, all member states, the fishing industry, the fish processing industry and environmental protection organizations and also conducted a public consultation before the final decision, implementation was delayed by almost four years.

SHARKPROJECTt, Pro Wildlife, the German Marine Foundation and the German Marine Foundation expressly welcome this step by the Commission and praise the fact that the experts from the 27 EU member states voted in favor of the option with the largest possible number of protected areas in June of this year, in accordance with the principle of prudence.

“Even though it took much longer than we had hoped, we are very pleased that the EU Commission is finally following up its promises on the Biodiversity Initiative and the Green Deal with action,” says Dr. Iris Ziegler of SHARKPROJECT International ”And we are proud that the Federal Republic of Germany made a clear commitment to protecting the deep sea in the vote in June and voted yes, as did France and 12 other member states.

“It was long overdue for the EU to finally implement the long-term protection of these important ecosystems against the short-term economic interests of some fisheries,” emphasizes Dr. Sandra Altherr from Pro Wildlife.

Fishing industry resisted until the end

Nine of the member states present, including Portugal, abstained. However, only two member states, Spain and Ireland, as well as numerous stakeholders from the fishing industry had opposed the implementation regulation and its entry into force until the very end.

“Of course, the fishing industry would have preferred to close as few areas as possible and only significantly smaller areas,” says Iris Ziegler, summarizing the mood at the last information event on the scope of the closures that have now been adopted.

Ulrich Karlowski from the German Foundation for Marine Conservation sees the adoption of the proposal by the experts from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) with the largest number of protected areas as “the only right decision if we are really serious about protecting these highly endangered but unique habitats in the deep sea. Because bottom-touching fishing destroys habitats that are crucial for the conservation of biodiversity in the oceans”.

After the two-month waiting period following the information provided by the United Kingdom (in accordance with Brexit provisions), the European Commission is now implementing the transposition regulation and the closure of these areas.

Further information can also be found at: Deep Sea Conservation Coalition and the press release of the EU Commission

SHARKPROJECT is a conservation organization dedicated to the protection of sharks and their marine habitat. In addition to educational and public relations work on marine conservation issues, SHARKPROJECT is primarily committed to a global rethink regarding the use of our oceans, truly sustainable fishing, bycatch reduction and the establishment of protected areas. All employees work on a voluntary basis and all donations go directly to shark conservation projects. In addition to the umbrella organization SHARKPROJECT International, there are national organizations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. SHARKPROJECT is a member of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) and campaigns for a moratorium on deep-sea mining and an end to destructive fishing methods

Pro Wildlife e.V. is a non-profit organization that campaigns for the protection of wild animals and their habitats worldwide. Our aim is to preserve biodiversity and save animals. The survival of the species in its habitat is important to us, as is the protection of the individual animal. We campaign for better laws and effective protection measures for wild animals. In various countries, we support aid projects for animals in need, help to preserve habitats and win over the local population for the protection of wild animals.

Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz is a charitable trust foundation that campaigns against the inconceivable exploitation of the oceans and the destruction of marine animals. The community foundation is committed to the respectful treatment of marine animals and the preservation and restoration of species-rich coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, corals and seagrass meadows. It promotes and/or carries out projects and initiatives that aim to protect endangered species and their habitats, improve climate protection or clean up the sea (plastic problem). It carries out educational and awareness-raising work to raise people’s awareness of marine conservation.

The Deutsche Meeresstiftung  works with partners from business, science and society to preserve this habitat for the benefit of future generations. With the media and research vessel ALDEBARAN, we undertake research expeditions on topics such as coral mortality and plastics in the oceans. With our marine competition, we have been motivating young scientists to do their best for our oceans since 2005. We produce educational materials for all age groups on marine topics of all kinds. We develop measuring devices and methods to detect plastic waste and banish it from our oceans. We are involved with a large number of partners in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, for example through a permanent exhibition on the museum ship Cap San Diego in Hamburg or the Ocean Festival in Berlin.