Although nearly 40% of the UK North Sea has been designated as a marine protected area, bottom trawling is still permitted. Between 2020 and 2024, the total catch within the reserves exceeded 1.3 million metric tons, with approximately 250,000 metric tons coming from bottom trawlers. The heavy gear used in this type of fishing directly destroys critical marine ecosystems such as seabed corals and seagrass beds, causing irreversible ecological damage. Due to long-term overfishing, North Sea cod has been classified as “overfished and at risk of collapse,” with the 2026 fishing quota slashed by 44% compared to 2025. Meanwhile, North Sea herring populations continue to decline.
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