In Parliament, I have been pushing for the Government to do more to protect our oceans and marine ecosystems. A crucial first step is for the Government to urgently ratify the High Seas Treaty.
Currently, around 10% of marine species are at risk of extinction. In 2023, countries around the world signed the High Seas Treaty, pledging to protect 30% of international waters by placing them into Marine Protected Areas. It is deeply disappointing that the UK was not among the first 60 countries to ratify the Treaty, a milestone that allowed it to become international law.
However, ratification alone is only the beginning. We must go further by tackling illegal and unregulated fishing in our waters and by banning the terrifying practice of bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas. This method, dragging heavy nets across the sea floor, devastates marine habitats, releases vast amounts of carbon, and kills marine life indiscriminately.
