Fishing Trawlers Banned from Scotland's Deep Ocean Reefs

BRUSSELS, Belgium, August 21, 2003 (ENS) - Unique deep ocean cold water reefs off the coast of Scotland were protected today by emergency order of the European Commission. At the request of the United Kingdom, the Commission has banned the use of fishing gear that scrapes the ocean floor in an area known as the Darwin Mounds, some 180 kilometers (110 miles) off the northwest coast of Scotland.

Environmentalists and the British government welcomed the emergency measures, which will be in effect for the next six months.

UK Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw (Photo courtesy UK Government)

The announcement is a victory for WWF UK which has been lobbying the Blair Government as well as the European Commission to immediately protect the Darwin Mounds.

"These emergency protection measures, to be implemented immediately, will stop further destruction being caused by damaging fishing practices," said Ali Champion, WWF marine policy officer. "This lifeline is fantastic news and must be followed by a permanent solution, as highlighted in today's announcement, or we risk losing the Darwin Mounds forever."

The request for Commission action came from the United Kingdom under new measures adopted last December to reform the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Emergency measures, applicable for six months, can be taken if there is evidence - as was the case here of a serious threat to marine ecosystems.

The cold water coral Lophelia pertusa which forms mounds in the ocean depths is the most prevalent type of coral on the Darwin Mounds (Photo courtesy WWF UK)

“This is yet another encouraging example of what is possible under the reformed CFP. In response to a request by a Member State, in this case the UK, the Commission has been able to take action very quickly to protect unique marine habitats,” said Franz Fischler, commissioner responsible for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries.

In its request for action, the first under the new Common Fisheries Policy legislation, the UK cites scientific advice warning that the deep water corals at Darwin Mounds, which constitute habitats hosting highly diverse biological communities, show signs of serious and irreparable damage caused by towed fishing gear.

Reefs fringing EU member states must also be protected under a law known as the 1992 Habitats Directive. UK officials have expressed their intention to designate the Darwin Mounds as a Special Area of Conservation to meet its obligations under that law.

Dead corals smashed by trawl nets on the Darwin Mounds. (Photo by Brian Bett, Southampton Oceanographic Centre, JNCC)

The Darwin Mounds have been identified by the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee as the best example of a cold water coral reef known in UK waters.

In its report to the government, the committee said that evidence of damage to the Mounds appeared in sonar images in 1999, and "new damage was visible over about half Darwin Mounds East during summer 2000," when "smashed coral strewn on the seabed" was found. A fishing trawler was seen near the area during the surveys.

French and Irish deep water trawlers in addition to the UK vessels, dominate the fishing in the area. They trawl for deep water species such as blue ling, roundnose grenadier, black scabbard fish and tusk. The emergency trawling ban imposed today applies to all EU vessels.

First discovered in 1998, the Darwin Mounds are a collection of sandy and cold water coral mounds, located some 1,000 meters (3,900 feet) below the surface of the ocean, about 185 kilometers northwest of Cape Wrath, the northwest tip of mainland Scotland. There are hundreds of mounds in the field, which in total cover approximately 100 square kilometers (39 square miles). Individual mounds are typically circular, up to five meters (16 feet) high and 100 meters (390 feet) wide.