England institutes ban on sand eel fishing, with Scotland ready to follow

Sand Eel

United Kingdom

Regulation & Compliances

Published Feb 8, 2024

Tridge summary

The UK government has announced a ban on sandeel fishing in English North Sea waters from April 2024, as part of its Environmental Improvement Plan. The plan also includes further restrictions on bottom trawling and an enhanced framework for national parks and protected areas. Despite these measures, conservation groups argue that they are insufficient. The government is also being urged to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty and improve protection for the UK's domestic Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), following its commitment to protect 30% of global and domestic waters by 2030.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

U.K. policymakers and conservation groups have largely hailed a decision taken by the U.K. government to stop sandeel fishing in English North Sea waters, which will go into force from 1 April onward, as a much-needed boost for marine life.Alongside the closure of sandeel fisheries, the government’s new plans – delivered around one year on from the launch of the U.K. Environmental Improvement Plan – will include further restrictions on bottom trawling and an enhanced framework regarding the nation’s national parks and protected areas.Announcing the measures on 31 January 2024, the U.K. Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) said sandeels are a vital food source for some of the country’s most vulnerable seabirds and marine mammals, including puffins and harbor porpoises, as well as commercially important fish species such as haddock and whiting. Defra said the closure will bolster the resilience of these species and ensure biodiversity can recover across marine ...

Source: Seafoodsource