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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to help protect Marine Protected Areas from bottom trawling.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

We have established a comprehensive network of MPAs covering 40% of our waters, and we are now focusing on making sure they are properly protected. Nearly 60% of the 181 English MPAs are already protected from damaging fishing activity. This includes byelaws made last year, which ban bottom towed gear over sensitive features in the first four offshore sites. The Marine Management Organisation consulted earlier this year on similar proposals for a further 13 sites; a decision on this will be taken shortly. We are aiming to have all MPAs in English waters protected from damaging fishing activity by the end of 2024.