Dear INDEEP and DOSI Colleagues
Good news…
A deal has been reached for the new EU deep-sea fisheries regulation. The agreement contains a clear prohibition on bottom trawling below 800 metres in EU waters in the northeast Atlantic and a requirement that areas of the seabed below 400 metres where VMEs are known or likely to occur be closed to bottom fishing unless it can be managed to prevent significant adverse impacts.
Please see the press release from European Parliament here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/
The DSCC, Bloom Association and Pew Charitable Trusts (alongside a number of other NGOs from around Europe and elsewhere) have been instrumental in this process. The DSCC and Bloom have produced an excellent infographic (please share on social media!) summarising the contents of the new regulation explaining how it compares to the existing EU deep-sea regulation and the UN GA resolutions: http://www.bloomassociation.
Kind regards
Maria
