Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to extend the ban on bottom trawling in more highly protected marine areas.

Highly Protected Marine Areas are areas of the sea which will prohibit all destructive, extractive, and depositional activities, including bottom trawling. The Government announced it will explore additional Highly Protected Marine Areas this year.

We will also continue to ban bottom trawling in our Marine Protected Areas wherever that is needed to protect the designated species and habitats. The Marine Management Organisation recently consulted on a byelaw to manage fishing using bottom towed gear in a further 13 sites and is now analysing the responses received.