Report | May, 2025
Marine Paper Parks: Exposing Destruction in France’s Iconic Marine Protected Areas
Oceana found that destructive bottom trawling is widespread in France’s most iconic marine protected areas (MPAs), despite their supposed “protected” status. In 2024, more than 100 bottom trawling vessels appeared to spend over 17,000 hours fishing in France’s six Marine Nature Parks in European waters, equivalent to one vessel trawling nonstop, 24/7, for nearly two years straight.
France claims to have already protected over 30% of its waters, but these findings show that most of these “protections” are on paper only. In France’s European waters, bottom trawling is widespread, and most protected areas are classified as “not regulated” or “unprotected.” Ninety-eight percent of the country’s MPAs allow destructive activities, and only 0.03% are strictly protected. Well-protected areas can have long-term economic benefits, especially for coastal communities, small-scale fishers, and more. Low-impact sustainable fishing practices typically thrive in well-managed marine protected areas, but bottom trawling and other destructive activities jeopardize these important areas, marine life, and those who rely on a healthy ocean.
As world leaders prepare for the UN Ocean Conference in Nice and rush to deliver on their commitment to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, Oceana is calling on governments to ensure that destructive activities like bottom trawling are not allowed in marine protected areas. President Emmanuel Macron and France have an opportunity to lead by example and ban bottom trawling in all French marine protected areas. This is a critical step to ensure genuine protection for ocean ecosystems and align with international standards.
Media Contacts:
- Anna Baxter, abaxter@oceana.org (EN)
- Lucie Lelong, lucie.lelong@clai2.com (FR)
