Arun and Adur campaigners call for ban on ‘supertrawlers’ fishing in protected waters in Sussex

Campaigners in Arun and Adur are calling for a ban on ‘supertrawlers’ fishing in Marine Protected Areas in Sussex.
Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in JanuaryMembers of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January
Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January

Members of Greenpeace Arun and Adur Local Group have calculated that supertrawlers spent 14 hours fishing in Offshore Overfalls, a Marine Protected Area (MPAs) which lies between the Arun and Adur, in 2019.

In total, supertrawlers spent 142 hours fishing in protected areas off the south coast of England last year – the equivalent of almost six days, Greenpeace research has shown.

All of this fishing activity was legal.

Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in JanuaryMembers of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January
Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January
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‘Supertrawlers’ are large trawlers that catch and process hundreds of tonnes of fish every day and ‘are not compatible with healthy oceans’, according to Greenpeace.

Last year, environmental concerns were raised by residents after giant fishing trawlers were spotted off the coast of Littlehampton – read more here.

Georgia Birch, from Greenpeace Arun and Adur Local Group, said: “I’m horrified to discover that the protected areas off the South East coast are being exploited by industrial fishing giants, and that this is happening legally.

“For the UK government to be taken seriously as a leader in marine protection, it must ban supertrawler operations in the UK’s Marine Protected Areas.

Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in JanuaryMembers of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January
Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January
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“Current negotiations with the EU on fishing rights provide the perfect chance to do this.

“Please support our call to end industrial fishing in MPAs, by signing our petition.”

Banning supertrawlers from fishing in MPAs would be a first step towards designating a network of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), as recommended in the Highly Protected Marine Areas review.

Greenpeace is calling on the government to ensure that the recommendations of the review become a reality, and grow in ambition to ensure that at least 30 per cent of the UK’s waters, and 30 per cent of the world’s oceans, are fully protected by 2030 – a scientifically agreed target backed by the UK government.

Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in JanuaryMembers of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January
Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January
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Georgia Birch added: “Greenpeace Arun and Adur Group has been campaigning for several years to protect our oceans.

“As a coastal town, we know how important our oceans are for food, tourism and tackling climate change.”

In January, the group held a photo exhibition which celebrated our oceans.

It is planning an online screening of the documentary ‘Four Corners’, about the Australian campaign to ban supertrawlers, on Monday, June 22, at 7pm.

Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in JanuaryMembers of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January
Members of the Greenpeace Adur and Arun local group at a photo exhibition held in January

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