Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the use of bottom trawling and supertrawlers by the fishing industry.

Defra is continuing to work with fishermen to develop ways to reduce the impact of fishing gear on the seabed, whilst still allowing the industry to remain profitable. For example, 98 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in inshore waters have management measures in place to protect sensitive features from bottom towed fishing gears. The Marine Management Organisation has recently concluded the first in a series of consultations on measures for offshore MPAs, which again seek to reduce the impact of bottom trawling.

The issue of supertrawlers is more complex as they generally target pelagic species of fish within the water column and are unlikely to damage the seabed. We are currently reviewing our policy on these vessels but perhaps more importantly, working to develop more robust management of non-quota stocks which these vessels are targeting as well as quota stocks.