Exposing Illegal Bottom Trawling in Protected Areas

The Med Sea Alliance is dedicated to the recovery of the Mediterranean Sea by advocating for and expanding the network of fully or highly Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs), while reducing the impacts of fisheries—in particular of illegal bottom trawling—and reversing the culture of non-compliance.

This MSA initiative aims to expose the scale and impact of bottom trawling in protected waters  It embodies everything we stand for: protecting shared resources and challenging the illegal, destructive fishing practices that threaten their survival.

With the launch of the MSA Atlas—the world’s first comprehensive mapping of illegal bottom trawling in protected areas across the Mediterranean—we brought long-hidden practices into the light. The Atlas exposed over 9,500 apparent fishing days in areas closed to bottom trawling. Supported by rigorous investigations, including Italy’s national fisheries-restricted areas and the devastating kiss trawling affecting Tunisia’s Gulf of Gabès, as well as strategic media campaigns, the Atlas turned evidence into action. It sparked public outrage and drove real change by demanding transparency and enforcement—not as a request, but as an urgent necessity.

The release of the Atlas, which revealed presumed bottom trawling activities in key Member States such as Italy, intensified pressure on national governments to take action. We continued to push national representatives in the European Parliament and at the GFCM to tackle illegal bottom trawling within their waters or by their fleets. Our findings were presented at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon (2022), the MedFish4Ever Conference in Malta (2023), and the Our Oceans Cconference in Greece in 2024, ensuring that they reached global policymakers, regional stakeholders, and local communities. These platforms amplified our message, bridging the gap between evidence, advocacy, and meaningful action.

Additionally, in 2024, BLOOM and ClientEarth launched a legal case against France for allowing illegal bottom trawling in Natura2000 Sites—marine protected areas designated to safeguard specific species and habitats for biodiversity purposes. This practice violates the EU Mediterranean Regulation, which prohibits bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) containing sensitive ecosystems such as seagrass meadows and coral reefs. These habitats are vital for carbon sequestration, marine biodiversity, and the overall health of our oceans.