The extent of illegal trawling in marine protected areas

Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU)fishing practices in the Mediterranean is not only essential to recover fish stocks of the Mediterranean, but also to protect its unique biodiversity. Illegal trawling in protected areas  is  one of the most destructive fishing practices, undermining conservation measures.

To assess the extent of this problem in the Mediterranean, MedReAct and Global Fishing Watch investigated 350 areas closed to trawling where presumed and confirmed  trawling was detected  in 35 areas by 350 vessels, between 2020 and 2021.  These findings were presented by MedreAct at Our Ocean Conference held in Athens in April 2024, during an event hosted by the Med Sea Alliance.

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