🌊 Marine Protected Areas (Bottom Trawling) (England)

Commons Chamber

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Katie White, MP for Leeds North West, proposed a Bill to ban bottom trawling in England’s Marine Protected Areas, highlighting its destructive impact on marine ecosystems and the support it receives across political parties. She emphasized the public’s misconception that such a ban already exists, and stressed the necessity of protecting marine life for climate and biodiversity reasons, as well as supporting small-scale fishers against industrial operations. The Bill, which has cross-party backing, aims to enhance protections established by previous environmental legislation and foster a sustainable future for coastal communities. The Bill passed its First Reading and is scheduled for a Second Reading on June 20.

Summary

  • Proposed Bill to Ban Bottom Trawling: Katie White, MP for Leeds North West, has proposed a new Bill aimed at prohibiting bottom trawling within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in England. Bottom trawling involves dragging heavy nets across the seabed, which destroys fragile marine ecosystems.

  • Cross-Party Support: The Bill has garnered support from members across different political parties, showcasing a unified approach to environmental protection. This builds on previous environmental commitments made by the government.

  • Importance of MPAs: The Bill emphasizes the need to protect marine areas, which play a vital role in regulating climate, absorbing carbon dioxide, and supporting biodiversity. These areas are essential for the economy, especially for fishing, tourism, and renewable energy sectors.

  • Public and Fishermen Support: Public opinion strongly favors banning bottom trawling in MPAs, with 80% of UK adults in support. Small-scale British fishermen also support the ban, as industrial fishing operations are blamed for degrading fishing ecosystems, impacting their livelihoods.

  • Environmental and Economic Benefits: The ban on bottom trawling has proven beneficial in areas like Lyme Bay, where recovery of seabed ecosystems has led to increased biodiversity and fish populations, benefiting both the environment and local fishing communities.

  • Next Steps: The Bill passed its first reading and is scheduled for a second reading on June 20. If passed, it will aim to enhance the protection of England’s marine environments and support sustainable fishing practices.

  • Additional Motion: Alongside the bottom trawling discussion, the Arbitration Bill [Lords] has also been addressed, with changes made to its reading process, no longer requiring referral to a Second Reading Committee.

Divisiveness

The session transcript shows very little disagreement among the participants. The primary focus is on Katie White’s introduction of a Bill to prohibit bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas in England. Throughout her speech, she emphasizes the cross-party support for the Bill, indicating a lack of opposition. She states, ‘It is a privilege to speak on a topic that has cross-party support,’ and later thanks ‘colleagues across the House’ for their support. The Bill’s co-signatories also reflect a broad spectrum of political parties, further indicating consensus rather than conflict.

Moreover, the ‘Question put and agreed to’ and the unanimous decision to move forward with the Bill (‘Ordered, That Katie White…present the Bill.’) suggest that there was no recorded dissent during the session. The rapid agreement to move forward with the Bill (‘Question agreed to’) for the Arbitration Bill [Lords] further supports the lack of disagreement in the session.

There are no examples of explicit disagreements or opposing viewpoints presented in the transcript, leading to the conclusion that the session was marked by a notable absence of conflict.