Ocean protection

MAJOR LEGAL VICTORY FOR OCEAN PROTECTION – EU COURT BANS DESTRUCTIVE FISHING IN MARINE RESERVES

In a landmark decision, the EU General Court has ruled that marine protected areas (MPAs) must be fully safeguarded from destructive fishing practices, including bottom trawling – one of the most harmful methods used in commercial fishing.

The ruling reinforces the protection of critical marine habitats that support whales, dolphins, porpoises, and countiess other specles. These are the very places where marine mammals feed, rest, and raise their young – and until now, many of them remained vuinerable to industrial exploitation.

On May 21st, the EU Court dismissed a legal challenge frorn a German fishing industry group aimed at weakening protections in the North Sea. The court stood firmly with conservation, declaring that EU governments already hold the legal authority to ban bottom trawling in MPAs – and now must act on it.

Graphic copuright: @DailymailsX