The EU General Court has decided to uphold a ruling that bans deep-sea fishing in parts of the Atlantic Ocean, as Euronews detailed.
In an effort to protect nature and biodiversity, the European Commission opted to close 87 sensitive zones to all bottom gears in the Atlantic in 2022. While many celebrated the decision, Spain argued the closure was disproportionate and unfairly impacted the country's fishing communities, particularly longline fisheries. In November 2022, Spain sued the European Commission in an attempt to reverse the decision.
According to a press release from the Court of Justice of the European Union, the General Court noted the complaints of Spain and various fishing entities that were filed in the appeal. However, it chose to uphold the ruling of the European Commission.
In its ruling, the court went into detail regarding its decision, noting that the disputed waters contained marine ecosystems that have been proved to contain or have a "probable presence" of protected species. The court argues that this requires legal protection of the area from any serious damage caused by fishing gear that drags along the seafloor.
The General Court also rejected Spain's claims that the European Commission infringed on the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy or unproportionally prohibited fishing in certain areas of the Atlantic that affected Spain.
Bottom trawling, or fishing that involves dragging a large net along the bottom of the seafloor, often captures unwanted species, including endangered animals like sea turtles and various marine mammals. Many of these species can wind up injured or even killed. As a result, vulnerable species can see their populations dwindle rapidly. When entire ecosystems are damaged, it can disrupt food chains and affect our food supply.
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Francesco Maletto, a lawyer with ClientEarth, applauded the court's ruling and noted the importance of making a change for the sake of the environment. "There is now too much evidence about the damage wrought by wide-scale, repeat bottom trawling to ignore," Maletto told Euronews.
"We are heartened to see the EU's General Court again uphold the principles of legal protection, keeping these areas of the ocean safe from harm, and ensuring healthy fish and marine wildlife populations," added Maletto.
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