Stop unsustainable fishing, development, farm pollution, plastic and noise from blighting UK seas, say The Wildlife Trusts

Stop unsustainable fishing, development, farm pollution, plastic and noise from blighting UK seas, say The Wildlife Trusts

UK Government must honour commitments at global oceans summit

A new briefing published by The Wildlife Trusts urges the UK Government to act fast to implement the commitments it made three years ago at the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference. Unfortunately, many promises made at that time have yet to be implemented and UK seas continue to decline. 

The follow-up United Nations Ocean Conference next week, 9th - 13th June, is a pivotal moment for the UK Government to fulfil its responsibilities and say how it intends to meet its global commitments to reverse the loss of marine wildlife and accelerate action to protect and sustainably use UK seas. 

In the UK, over half of marine habitats are deteriorating and only 29% of estuaries and coastal bodies are in good ecological condition. Damage is largely due to unsustainable fishing and development, plastic pollution and agricultural run-off, leading to the degradation of delicate ecosystems. 

Even Marine Protected Areas – nature reserves at sea – are not fully protected from destructive activities such as bottom trawling.  

An orca breaching its head out of the water, with seabirds soaring overhead

Orca © Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

The Wildlife Trusts urge Member States to commit to: 

  • End damaging activities including bottom-trawling in Marine Protected Areas and use these special places to protect blue carbon as well as wildlife
  • Put in effective measures to achieve Good Environmental Status across all our seas
  • Develop national marine spatial plans to minimise conflicts and support sea recovery  

Ruth Williams, head of marine at The Wildlife Trusts, says: 

“Over half of the UK’s wildlife call the sea home, and every single one of us – wherever we live – relies on it for respite, recreation and even the air we breathe. Yet our seas are being destroyed by damaging practices and threatened by unsustainable development. They are blighted by exploitation and badly polluted.  

“We are appealing to UK ministers and world leaders to take these simple steps to ensure our seas are properly protected and that wildlife in our waters can thrive. 

The recovery and restoration of our beautiful marine habitats and the fantastic wildlife that lives beneath the waves around our coastline is within our grasp. 

It’s entirely possible to achieve the gold standard of marine management but we need action now and we need it fast – our future depends on it. 

“We published a Blue Carbon report last year which revealed that the UK’s marine habitats have a crucial role to play in tackling climate change. The report found that 244 million tonnes of organic carbon are stored in just the top 10cm of seabed sediments and coastal vegetated habitats, with over 98% of it stored in seabed sediments such as mud. It’s time we took protecting it much more seriously.”  

The seas around the UK are sensitive ecosystems relied on by an abundance of extraordinary wildlife – from tiny sand eels (the favourite food of puffins) to ocean giants like minke whales and orcas. They also offer a treasure trove of opportunities for tourism, trade and ocean energy, and have the potential to protect against climate breakdown due to the large stores of carbon they hold. 

However, disturbances caused by offshore development or bottom trawling – a fishing technique where nets are raked along the seabed – releases precious carbon locked away within the mud and sediment, worsening the climate crisis. It also destroys habitats and species living on the seabed, which is why the Wildlife Trusts is calling for it to be banned in Marine Protected Areas. 

For more information, read our briefing on the UN Oceans Conference

Editor's notes

 The Wildlife Trusts  

The Wildlife Trusts are making the world wilder and helping to ensure that nature is part of everyone’s lives. We are a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 870,000 members and 38,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting and standing up for the natural world. With the support of our members, we care for and restore special places for nature on land and run marine conservation projects and collect vital data on the state of our seas. Every Wildlife Trust works within its local community to inspire people to create a wilder future – from advising thousands of landowners on how to manage their land to benefit wildlife, to connecting hundreds of thousands of school children with nature every year. www.wildlifetrusts.org 

 

A seabed showing an abundance of seastars and other brightly coloured marine life

A sunstar & rich animal life on the seabed © Paul Naylor

It's time to ban bottom trawling in seabed Marine Protected Areas!

Take action to end bottom trawling

More about our work on seas

Learn more about the work of The Wildlife Trusts to protect and restore our seas

Our work to protect our seas