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Sussex has banned trawling, a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats, following a campaign backed by British veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.
The Help Our Kelp campaign also received support from 2,500 other people to help save the underwater forest – which once stretched from Selsey to Shoreham – but has been damaged due to trawling and storms.
Environmentalists say the year-round ban, enacted by Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, will help cut greenhouse gas emissions – as the underwater forest ‘sucks up massive amounts of planet-warming carbon’.
‘Far-reaching impact’
According to The Telegraph, Attenborough said: “This marine rewilding project, if approved, will ensure the Sussex seas remain healthy for generations to come, and could have far-reaching impact for other parts of the UK coast.”
Executive Director of the Blue Marine Foundation Charles Clover, who was in favor of the ban, added: “This is an initiative that tackles climate change and overfishing impacts all at once, the first of its kind in the UK. This is exactly what we need to be doing in marine habitats all over the world.”
