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Bottom trawling ban hailed by fishing groups

Fiona Irving,South East Environmental Correspondent, in Bognor Regis and
Patrick Barlow,BBC News, South East
Sussex Underwater A man diving underwater with his hand outstretched. He is pointing at a black and white fish. The fish is surrounded by marine plants.Sussex Underwater
Divers in Sussex say a bottom trawling ban has helped the marine wildlife in the area, as the government considers other bans in the South East

Fishing campaigners say a bottom trawling ban in West Sussex could be a "blueprint of success" for other parts of the South East as a government consultation on plans to extend restrictions ends.

Fishermen in Bognor Regis say banning trawling in the area has helped marine wildlife to thrive in the 4.5 years since.

Now, with more bans being considered, the Sussex Underwater group says an end to the industrial fishing practice would help to improve habitats across the South East as well as nationwide.

A consultation on whether to implement bottom trawling bans in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the UK, including four in Sussex and Kent, closes at the end of Monday, 29 September.

Clive Mills, a fisherman and former trawlerman, said: "If a trawlerman is true to themselves they know and can see what they are doing.

"It has become so aggressive – we can destroy millions of years of ground in hours."

Fiona Irving / BBC A man with short grey hair wearing a blue jumper. He is sat in front of a number of boats which sit on a pebble beach.Fiona Irving / BBC
Clive Mills, a former trawlerman, said the practice had become "so aggressive"

Eric Smith, dive leader for Sussex Underwater, added: "This year it is like someone has clicked a switch. Since the ban the difference is dramatic."

Bottom trawling, where weighted nets are dragged along the seabed to catch fish, has been banned in Bognor and in 117 square miles (304 square km) of Sussex waters since 2021.

A new consultation by the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) is considering whether to ban bottom trawling in 43 areas in the UK.

Fiona Irving / BBC A man wearing a black coat stood on a pebble beach with his arms crossed. His coat has white righting on the right breast, reading "Sussex Underwater".Fiona Irving / BBC
Eric Smith said changes since the bottom trawling ban in Bognor Regis had been "dramatic"

In the South East, these include the Bassurelle Sandbank near Dover, the Inner Bank near Dungeness, and parts of the MPAs in Beachy Head East, East Sussex and Offshore in Brighton.

Paul Boniface, a diver with Sussex Underwater, said: "What we have here is unique and special and I hope it is the blueprint of success we can have elsewhere."

The government previously announced earlier this month that it would not implement an outright ban on bottom trawling in the UK.

Howard Wood/C.O.A.S.T An underwater image of a seabed. The seabed is barren and has lots of stones scattered across it.Howard Wood/C.O.A.S.T
An area of seabed damaged by trawling

Former Environment Secretary, speaking at the launch of the consultation, said: "Bottom trawling is damaging our precious marine wildlife and habitats.

"Without urgent action, our oceans will be irreversibly destroyed – depriving us, and generations to come, of the sea life on which we all enjoy.

"The Government is taking decisive action to ban destructive bottom trawling where appropriate."

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