Iceland imposes bottom trawling ban in additional areas

Icelandic Minister of Food Svandís Svavarsdóttir has confirmed a regulation on protection measures for vulnerable marine areas and bottom ecosystems.

The regulation defines three new areas in the country’s waters where bottom trawling will not be allowed. In addition, areas that were previously included in the Iceland Nature Reserve Regulation have been entered into the same regulation.

All fishing except manual fishing and pelagic fishing with a floating trawl and ring note will be prohibited in these areas in the future.

Once the regulation enters into force, all bottom trawling will be prohibited in 17 areas in Iceland’s fishing waters, covering just under two per cent of the country’s fishing territory.

Most of the areas have been closed to fishing by line and/or bottom trawl since 1971. Eleven areas dedicated to the conservation of corals have also been included in the regulation, but bottom trawling has been prohibited in some parts of those areas for nearly 20 years.