The Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) hopes the announcement of a ban in the Beachy Head East Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) will help conserve some of the most important marine habitats within the Sussex district.
Robert Pearson, chief officer at Sussex IFCA, says the chalk reef that makes up the Beachy Head East MCZ not only provides “valuable habitat” for some important fish species but also valuable nursery areas and juvenile feeding grounds for those species.
Bottom trawling is viewed by many conservationists as damaging and indiscriminate.
The practice sees weighted nets dragged along the seabed to catch fish and can lead to the destruction of reefs and other marine habitats.