Asked by: Lord Cameron of Dillington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle the harmful impact of commercial fishing in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) Marine Protected Area (MPA), designated by the SGSSI Government in 2012 and strengthened in 2013 and 2019, aims to conserve the rich marine diversity and provide the framework for management and research. The zone covers 1.24 million km2. Fishing is highly regulated and carried out in a way that protects the marine ecosystem.
Bottom trawling is prohibited throughout. Longline fishing is limited to depths of between 700 and 2,250 metres, restricted to 6 per cent of the MPA. Toothfish and krill fishing is only permitted during four winter months to reduce the impact on seabirds, penguins, seals and whales. No take zones, where all fishing activity is prohibited, cover 283,000km2 and include the most biodiverse regions of the seabed.