Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Accepted in Part
Government failure to manage Marine Protected Area network allows damaging activities
Conclusion
We were concerned by Government failure to effectively manage gaps in the network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Deficient management and gaps in the network are allowing damaging activities to take place within MPA boundaries. (Conclusion, Paragraph 61)
Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees, stating it is taking action to prevent damaging activities within MPAs. They highlight that 40% of English seas are MPAs, 60% have fishing byelaws, and a consultation is underway to ban bottom trawling in 41 more MPAs, though they will not implement whole-site bans.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
This Government is taking action to ensure activities do not damage our MPAs. The Government is committed to the global target to effectively protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, and to delivering this target at home, alongside our responsibilities under domestic and international law to manage our MPAs. In England, there are 181 MPAs covering approximately 40% of our seas, protecting important, rare and threatened habitats and species. Around 60% of these MPAs already have byelaws in place to prevent damage from fishing activity. In addition, in June 2025, the MMO commenced a consultation on proposals to ban bottom trawling in a further 41 MPAs, covering 30,000 km2, equivalent to 13% of England’s waters. The Government’s policy is not to introduce whole-site bans on bottom-towed fishing gear in MPAs. Our approach is to only restrict fishing which is assessed as damaging to the specific protected features in each MPA, based on advice from the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee). Sometimes management measures will involve a ban across the whole site, where the features to be protected cover the whole site, and in other cases they will not. For marine industries such as aggregate dredging, activities that could impact MPAs are managed through the marine licensing and planning consent systems. As part of this process, applications for activities in MPAs are subject to a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) or Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) Assessment to ensure potential impacts on MPAs are properly assessed, avoided or mitigated. Activities that damage MPA features can only be approved if they pass the HRA or MCZ derogations tests. Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) provide the highest level of marine protection in English waters by taking a whole site approach, where the entire marine ecosystem is the protected feature. The conservation objective of HPMAs is to restore the marine ecosystem to a natural state. MMO ran a formal consultation on a proposed byelaw to prohibit commercial and recreational fishing across all three HPMAs. The Government will take a decision on this byelaw in due course. The Government therefore partially agrees with this recommendation. Defra is working to ensure damaging practices do not occur within our MPAs where they could harm protected habitats and species, but blanket bans are disproportionate and not in line with legislation.