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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the seabed within the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone is designated as marine protected areas; and what proportion of such areas exclude the fishing practice of bottom trawling.

Around 9.4% of the UK continental shelf, as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Part V, Article 76, is designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This area includes all of the UK Exclusive Economic Zone.

The closure of fisheries in MPAs located in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for their respective administrations. Therefore, information on the proportion of such areas in the UK is not readily available. As part of Defra's revised approach to fisheries management, 17 new byelaws have been introduced to protect vulnerable habitats from damaging bottom trawling activities in MPAs. Details of these byelaws, including the boundaries of closed areas, are available at:

- Cornwall Closed Area European Marine Site: http://www.cornwall-ifca.gov.uk/new_byelaw

- Devon & Severn mobile gear protection byelaw: http://www.devonandsevernifca.gov.uk/News

- Eastern European Marine Site byelaw: http://www.eastern-ifca.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137&Itemid=202

- Isles of Scilly European Marine Site byelaw: http://www.scillyifca.gov.uk/European_Marine_Sites

- Kent and Essex Bottom towed gear byelaw: http://www.kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk/i-want-to-find-out-about/regulations/keifca-byelaws/keifca-district-byelaws/

- North Eastern Humber Estuary European Marine Site byelaw: http://www.ne-ifca.gov.uk/legislation-and-byelaws/byelaw-regulations/

- North Eastern Flamborough Head byelaw: http://www.ne-ifca.gov.uk/legislation-and-byelaws/byelaw-regulations/

- North Western European Marine Site byelaw (named byelaw 6): http://www.nw-ifca.gov.uk/

- Northumberland mobile gear byelaw: http://www.nifca.gov.uk/byelaws/new-ems-byelaw/

- Northumberland Seagrass protection byelaw: http://www.nifca.gov.uk/byelaws/new-ems-byelaw/

- Southern Seagrass protection byelaw: http://www.southern-ifca.gov.uk/

- Southern Bottom towed gear byelaw: http://www.southern-ifca.gov.uk/

- Sussex Prohibition of fishing byelaw: http://www.sussex-ifca.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=143&Itemid=205

- Four new MMO byelaws linked below:

http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/protecting/conservation/ems-byelaws.htm