Areas where fishing with BOTTOM CONTACTING MOBILE GEAR is prohibited or not practical

Fishing pressures can be managed using spatial measures such as prohibiting or restricting certain types of fishing, target species, or vessel capacity. This dataset depicts areas where fishing with BOTTOM CONTACTING MOBILE GEAR is prohibited by EU, UK and Scottish legislation since 1986. Polygons were simplified for web use and are for illustrative purposes only. Guidance should be sought from Fishery Offices on interpreting legislation.

Bottom contacting mobile gear includes trawls, seines, and dredges.  Management areas are included for vulnerable marine ecosystems, and deep sea corals.  These deep sea areas do not specifically prohibit dredging, but cover areas of sea too deep for dredging to take place.