Senedd Member calls for restrictions on bottom trawling
The Conservatives' shadow climate secretary told the Senedd: 'It is a national disgrace that this Welsh Government is allowing such destructive and wasteful practices to take place.'
Ms Finch-Saunders warned: 'These practices effectively bulldoze through and destroy seabed habitats. They release high levels of carbon and they catch untargeted marine life.'
She stated bottom trawling is excluded in less than 1 per cent of seas, with restrictions around Skomer Island – only one of the 139 marine protected areas (MPAs) surrounding Wales.
Ms Finch-Saunders described the 'destructive' method of fishing as 'incompatible' with MPAs, which are meant to be sanctuaries for marine life.
She urged Welsh ministers to follow Westminster's lead, with the UK Government consulting on proposals to ban bottom trawling in 41 MPAs – an area spanning 30,000km2.
Ms Finch-Saunders pointed to the example of a ban in Lyme Bay in south-west England leading to a 430 per cent increase in the richness of the species mix.
Contributing to the debate on July 9, Joyce Watson raised long-held concerns about the impact of scallop dredging in the special area of conservation in Cardigan Bay.
She said: 'Scallop dredging, like other forms of dredging, is an incredibly destructive fishing practice – the entire structure of the seabed is damaged as rakes are dragged along.'
Her Labour colleague Carolyn Thomas said she was horrified to watch Sir David Attenborough's Ocean documentary film. But she added: 'It did say there was hope, that if bottom trawling ended – the ecosystems, the biodiversity could soon recover.'
Huw Irranca-Davies, the deputy first minister who is responsible for environment policy, described the use of bottom trawling around Wales as relatively limited.
He told the Senedd the main king scallop fishery in Wales is managed under a joint fisheries management plan with England to ensure long-term sustainability.
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