In many parts of the world, environmentalists have insisted that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) should be total No Take Zones (NTZs), and anglers have been unnecessarily banned from once popular areas on dogmatic grounds, rather than because of any potential significant impact on the environmental objectives of protected areas.

In the UK, Recreational Sea Angling camapaigners have argued that, although in some circumstances angling activity might have to be excluded or subject to some restrictions, only activities that are likely to significantly affect the attainment of the overall objectives of a particular protected area should be considered for exclusion.

So, it might be that bottom fishing is banned because of likely damage to seabed communities of plants and animals, whilst mid-water fishing is allowed to continue.

Or fishing during a particular time of the year is excluded owing to the presence of spawning or feeding fish populations that are subject to recovery etc.

It would seem that such representations have been listened to and that the UK government will take a more pragmatic approach to Marine Protected areas within the UK.

BBC Report

The Telegraph