Thursday 20 March 2008

In the new WWF report published today, A Return to Abundance: A Case for Marine Reserves in the North Sea, we suggest a network of five experimental marine reserves that will improve the sustainability of fisheries, protect biodiversity, and help establish a healthy ecosystem.

There is an urgent need for protected areas to provide refuges for commercially important species such as cod, haddock and plaice. Existing fisheries management regimes have failed to provide sufficient protection for these vulnerable species, leading to a reduction in their numbers by as much as 90% since 1990. Some species, like the common skate, have all but disappeared from the North Sea.

Giles Bartlett, Fisheries Policy Officer at WWF-UK said: "Under present fisheries management policies, species and habitats will continue to decline. It is vital that we rebuild resilience in North Sea ecosystems. WWF urges the Government to immediately implement a network of experimental marine reserves that can be used to strengthen fisheries management in the North Sea, and deliver lasting protection to the full spectrum of marine wildlife."