Fish ban call to save reefs

As ministers from each of the EU countries negotiate over fishing quotas at the annual December council, WWF warned that the final deal will be decisive for the survival of the reefs and the communities they support.

"Located between 400 and 1,600 meters depth, they support a wealth of marine wildlife, including commercial fish stocks," said Stephan Lutter, WWF International Marine Policy Officer.

"However, they are extremely vulnerable to bottom trawling and other destructive fishing gear. In certain areas of the North-East Atlantic, up to 50 per cent of the reefs have been reported to be damaged or lost already.

"In 2006, the Irish government proposed the inclusion of four sites at Porcupine Bank and Bight - an area of approximately 2,500 sq km - in the Natura 2000 network of European protected areas.

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