Ministers are being urged to “stand strong” on moves to close a fishery in UK waters to protect puffins and other wildlife in the face of EU opposition.
The UK Government announced the closure of all Scottish waters and the English North Sea to sand eel fishing – a key food source for seabirds along the British coasts – in January, with the move coming into force in late March.
But it has been challenged by the European Commission, which has requested consultation with the UK to discuss the legitimacy of the closures – in a move that conservationists have labelled as “shameful”.
There might actually be a Brexit benefit.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Ministers are being urged to “stand strong” on moves to close a fishery in UK waters to protect puffins and other wildlife in the face of EU opposition.
The UK Government announced the closure of all Scottish waters and the English North Sea to sand eel fishing – a key food source for seabirds along the British coasts – in January, with the move coming into force in late March.
A coalition of conservation groups is backing the Government’s stance, which they say supports a wide range of under-pressure wildlife including seabirds such as puffins and kittiwakes, as well as seals, porpoises, whales, haddock and whiting.
The Government said it could improve resilience of seabirds in the face of bird flu, and international fisheries scientists have acknowledged that their advice on quotas did not take into account the needs of wildlife that feed on the fish.
The coalition of conservation groups warn species that are dependent on sand eels are in decline, with puffin numbers down by 23% in the past few decades and kittiwake populations down by 43%, with unsustainable fishing one of the key drivers for the falls.
And in the last few years, avian flu has killed tens of thousands of birds including gannets and skuas, devastating already declining species and reversing positive trends in others, they warn.
The original article contains 753 words, the summary contains 221 words. Saved 71%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
