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Marine Protected Areas (Bottom Trawling) Bill [HL]

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A bill to Regulate and limit the practice of bottom trawling in marine protected areas; and for connected purposes.

Be it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Regulation and limitation of bottom trawling in marine protected areas

(1) The Secretary of State must by regulations make provision to regulate and limit the practice of bottom trawling in marine protected areas.
(2) The regulations—
(a) must prohibit bottom trawling in those marine protected areas defined in subsection (3);
(b) may make associated provision about licensing and enforcement;
(c) may confer responsibilities and powers on the Marine Management Organisation and Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities; and
(d) may create criminal offences punishable with a fine in respect of failures to comply with the regulations.
(3) In this Act—
bottom trawling is fishing by dragging heavy weighted nets across the sea floor using bottom towed fishing gear;
bottom towed fishing gear means any trawls, seines, dredges or similar gear, including trawls towed on or very close to the sea bed, which are actively moved in the water by one or more fishing vessels or by any other mechanised system and in which any part of the gear is designed and rigged to operate on, and be in contact with, the seabed;
marine protected area includes, a Marine Conservation Zone, a Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area, Highly Protected Marine Area and; a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and an Area of Special Scientific Interest in a marine environment, or a marine Ramsar Site.

2 Consultation and technical provisions

(1) Regulations under section 1—
(a) are to be made by statutory instrument;
(b) may make different provision for different purposes;
(c) may make transitional and saving provision;
(d) may not be made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.
(2) Before laying draft regulations under section 1 before Parliament, the Secretary of State must consult—
(a) the Scottish Ministers,
(b) the Welsh Ministers,
(c) the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland,
(d) Natural England
(e) the Joint Nature Conservation Committee
(f) the Marine Management Organisation; and
(g) the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities.
(3) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a draft statutory instrument containing regulations under section 1 before the end of the period of one year beginning on the day on which this Act is passed.

3 Extent, commencement and short title

(1) This Act extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
(2) This Act comes into force on the day on which it is passed.
(3) This Act may be cited as the Marine Protected Areas (Bottom Trawling) Act 2024.