We call on the Government to establish 0–6 nautical mile exclusion zones for bottom-contact fishing in key UK coastal areas. We think this will allow kelp and seagrass recovery, strengthen natural defences like saltmarsh and dunes, and reduce coastal erosion and flood risk sustainably.

Seabed disturbance from bottom trawling can increase turbidity, destabilise sediments, and undermine nature-based defences. There is evidence showing passive recovery after trawling bans outperforms planting alone, protecting coasts at lower cost than repeated restoration or hard-engineered defences. We think targeted bans will benefit ecosystems, fisheries, and coastal communities while adapting to climate change.