The British Government said on Monday it planned to extend a ban on bottom trawling to protect marine life amid calls from TV naturalist David Attenborough and Prince William for urgent measures to protect the world's oceans.
The plan, which will supposedly be subject to a consultation with those in the marine and fisheries sector, would see bottom trawling banned across about 30,000 square kilometres (11,600 square miles) of English seas covering 41 marine protected areas, the deeply unpopular Labour Government said.
It said the move would protect vital marine habitats and support species such as lobster, clams, soft corals and langoustines. Currently there is a ban covering about 18,000 square kilometres of English seabeds.
"Bottom trawling is damaging our precious marine wildlife and habitats," Environment Minister Steve Reed said in a statement. "Without urgent action, our oceans will be irreversibly destroyed."
On Sunday Prince William, the elder son of King Charles and heir to the throne, called on politicians and business leaders at an event in Monaco ahead of the UN conference to act, "while we still have the chance."
Charles and William have been heavily criticised for wading into highly political debates that the much-loved Queen Elizabeth II was noted for staying out of. Charles in particular has used his platform to advocate for offshore windfarm development despite significant conflicts of interest.
Meanwhile Attenborough, whose latest documentary film Ocean on the issue was released last month, said he was appalled by what humans had done to "the deep ocean floor", saying it was "unspeakably awful".
"If you did anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms," Attenborough told William in an interview which was released by the prince's office on Saturday.
"As a work designed to entertain and influence, Ocean is outstanding, but – by its nature – indiscriminate," said the UK's National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations. "The film makes claims about the impact of bottom trawling that are not recognisable in Britain’s modern fishing fleet."
"The narrative promoted by Ocean is a story about a fishery of the past. New technology and more scientific, evidence-led fisheries management has led to a present-day fleet that is increasingly selective in its gear and restricted in its activities to those areas that can sustain it.
"Those successes are proof of the fishing industry’s commitment to continually improved sustainability. If we are going to continue sustainably producing food from the sea, a diverse fleet is essential. Bottom trawling is a relatively small, but important, part of that in the UK today."
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)