EU Commission Makes History with Proposal to Phase Out Bottom Trawling for Deep-Sea Species

In a move that will help protect one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth, the European Commission today proposed phasing out destructive bottom trawling and bottom gillnetting among deep sea fishing fleets in the Northeast Atlantic. The Pew Environment Group praised EC Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, for the bold proposal to finally put an end to these unsustainable and destructive deep-sea fishing methods. Marine scientists have roundly concluded that deep-sea bottom trawling is the most direct and widespread threat to fragile deep-sea ecosystems. These ecosystems harbor a diversity of life – much of it as yet unidentified – that may exceed the biodiversity found in the Amazon rainforest.

http://www.pewenvironment.org/news-room/press-releases/eu-commission-makes-history-with-proposal-to-phase-out-bottom-trawling-for-deep-sea-species-85899401372