Like the Amazon rainforest counters climate change, European seas and its ocean also offer precious ecosystems which contribute to mitigating the climate crisis. However, instead of being protected, these ecosystems are systematically destroyed by bottom trawling – the most destructive fishing practice –  hindering the ocean’s capacity to slow down climate change. NGOs urgently call for the protection of these ecosystems, with the same ambition as the West calls on Brazil to protect the Amazon rainforest. A ban of bottom trawling in Europe would not only contribute to preserving marine biodiversity but also allow the ocean to unlock its full potential to mitigate climate change.

Posted on: 4 January 2023

• Climate and ocean
• Low impact fisheries
• Marine protected areas
• Ocean use
• Rewilding the ocean