The European Parliament has opted to ban fishing below 800 meters in the north-east Atlantic in a bid to protect dwindling fish populations. Bottom trawling, which has also wreaked havoc on the sea-bed, will be allowed only in limited areas.

MEPs ban deep-sea fishing below 800 meters

This is the dogfish, which lives in the Atlantic Ocean. 

If it is not protected, it could disappear.

along with some 20 other deep-sea species.

To avoid this, MEPs have approved a new regulation

to limit deep-sea fishing in the North-East Atlantic.

In it, they restrict fishing to specific zones.

These coastal zones represent the footprints 

of where vessels had been deep-sea fishing between 2009 and 2011.

We can assume, taking account of the fact that

we have fished this zone, that there are actually no rocks

fishing nets would have been torn by the rocks or by the coral.

A compromise allowed MEPs to safeguard economic activity

Fishing will be limited in breadth and in depth,

and there will be a ban on fishing below 800 metres.

A further measure reinforces checks and sanctions.

20% of vessels will be subject to scientific monitoring by independent observers.

We have put in place a scientific system,

much more significant scientific checks than in any other fishing regulation.

We will get back more scientific data than we ever have before.

The data will allow for any eventual review of the measures,

and to better protect fish stocks and the sea bed.