Closed petition Ban Trawling in All Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in UK waters

Ban all bottom and pelagic trawling within all UK Marine Protected Areas to safeguard vital marine ecosystems & ensure these protected areas are truly safe for nature. We think this would support biodiversity, aid climate resilience by protecting carbon stores & benefit sustainable fishing practices

More details

We think that UK Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), intended as safe havens, face severe threats. Reports indicate that in 2023 alone, over 33,000 hours of suspected bottom trawling occurred in offshore areas. We think this destructive practice devastates seabed habitats, crucial for biodiversity and carbon storage. We think continuing to allow trawling undermines the very purpose of MPAs and harms small-scale fishers who rely on healthy ecosystems. We think a full ban is essential to ensure the recovery of marine life and habitats.

This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months

1,834 signatures

Progress of the petition towards its next target: 1,834 of 10,000 signatures required to get a government response

Show on a map the geographical breakdown of signatures by constituency

10,000 signatures required to get a government response

Date closed 16 December 2025
Get petition data (json format)

About petition data

The data shows the number of people who have signed the petition by country as well as in the constituency of each Member of Parliament. This data is available for all petitions on the site. It is not a list of people who have signed the petition. The only name that is shared on the site is that of the petition creator.