Limiting bottom trawling: French announcements remain “insufficient,” according to NGOs

For months, the government has been promising announcements and a France "on the agenda" for the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), which opens in Nice on Monday, June 9. French environmental organizations are waiting for Emmanuel Macron to deliver on one issue in particular: bottom trawling, a fishing technique on the ocean floor, criticized in particular for its impact on seabed ecosystems.

On Saturday evening, June 7, in an exchange with the regional press, the President of the Republic indicated that he wanted to "limit" the practice in certain areas . This measure is an integral part of the "strategy dedicated to the protection of the seabed" presented to the press by Agnès Pannier-Runacher on Sunday, June 8. In this document, the Minister for Ecological Transition presents a series of areas from which trawling should be excluded by the end of 2026, like "all human activities having a significant impact on the seabed."

In total, "the areas where the seabed is or will be strongly protected will represent 4% of French waters, compared to 0.1% today," argues ^Ms. Pannier-Runacher, who praises an " unprecedented acceleration of strong protection" - a "French-style" protection regime criticized by environmental organizations, as less strict than European standards . The choice of the maritime areas concerned is presented by the minister's office as "a first step towards labeling zones" : "others will arrive quickly," by the end of 2027, it is indicated. They will depend, in particular, on work analyzing risks linked to fishing and local consultations, carried out among others with professionals.

You have 58.65% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.