Mauritius will manage the Chagos MPA better
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A recent article in Oceanographic Magazine has highlighted the stark truth about the UK current management of MPAs. More than 1.3 million tonnes of fish were caught inside of the UK’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the four years since 2020, exposing – campaigners have said – the “stark difference” between the political promises and reality at sea.
Nearly 40% of the UK’s seas are designated as MPAs. These areas are designated to protect marine wildlife and fragile habitats. Yet, analysis of European fisheries landing data shows that roughly 500 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of fish has been taken from these habitats since 2020.
Bottom trawling shatters and plunders the sea bed (IMAGE Marine Conservation Institute)
Most worryingly, the majority of this catch was taken via pelagic trawlers – vessels that use enormous nets up to 240 metres wide and 50 metres long, scooping up everything in their path.
A quarter of a million tonnes were also caught using bottom-towed gear, like bottom trawlers, which devastate marine ecosystems on the seafloor. This video says it all Tragically these bottom trawlers take everything.
Bottom-trawling is widely considered the world’s most destructive fishing method, causing high amounts of by-catch and releasing huge amounts of carbon back into the atmosphere.
As of 2024, the UK has designated 377 MPAs, covering nearly 350,000 square kilometres of UK waters.
In 2020, a new law gave new powers to the government to restrict fishing for conservation purposes in UK coastal waters. But MPAs work as tiered systems, and many in the UK are not designated as fully protected areas.
Bylaws to ban bottom trawling remain in the consultation phase, and massive trawlers prowl some of the UK’s most sensitive marine ecosystems, despite major concerns about fish populations.
More than 1.3 million tonnes of fish were caught inside of the UK’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the four years since 2020, exposing – campaigners have said – the “stark difference” between the political promises and reality at sea.
Nearly 40% of the UK’s seas are designated as MPAs. These areas are designated to protect marine wildlife and fragile habitats. Yet, analysis of European fisheries landing data shows that roughly 500 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of fish has been taken from these habitats since 2020.
Chagos Archipeligo Marine Protected Area (CAMPA)
The Government of Mauritius has initiated an action to establish CAMPA which will cover approximately 645,835 km2, of the Indian Ocean Marine Protected Area. In line with its commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and dedicated to the protection and preservation of the terrestrial and marine environment of the Chagos Archipelago, CAMPA will enforce marine protection in the Chagos Islands, currently a British MPA.
On 31 March 2026 the Attorney-General of Mauritius , Mr Gavin Patrick Cyril Glover, SC, opened a three-day workshop on the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area (CAMPA) at the Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel in Port Louis. Mauritius has already commence preparations for the protection and procedures to govern the restoration rights to the Chagos Islands and this meeting re-affirmed what we already know- Mauritius takes the preservation and management of its oceananographic territory very seriously indeed.
The Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration & Exploration of the Prime Minister’s Office organised the workshop in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London and with the support of the British High Commission. The main objective of the workshop was to bring together national stakeholders, international practitioners and technical specialists to exchange knowledge and practical experience to inform the planning, implementation and long-term management of CAMPA. Moreover, the workshop will promote international cooperation, build national capacity, and enable the adoption of best international practices in marine protected area governance.
Under the Europeche Agreement the European Union vigorously and publicly supports Mauritian interests in the Indian Ocean. The Fisheries and Marine Resources Act of 2023 is the primary resource for the protection of our reefs and our marine world. The Act states: The general objective of this Act shall be to ensure the long-term conservation, management and development of fisheries and aquaculture in Mauritius while safeguarding the marine resources, biodiversity, environment and ecosystems for the benefit of the people of Mauritius.
All fishing is controlled by the issue of licences, so arbitrary controls are not an option. This will make a serious difference to the managment of the Indian Ocean fish stocks and over-fishing, and stop the horrendous UK fishing practises in its MPA and the BIOT.
Bottom trawlers cant distinguish between fish species.
Since the addition of the Chagos Islands, Mauritius with 3 million square kilomentrs under its control has become the world’s 3 largest state by square kilometres. Bigger than India, smaller than Russian and China. Composed primarily of the Indian ocean and with full control over the bulk of its marine resources, the addition of the Chagos will become a game changer for tourism. We hope that with the establishment of CAMPA this dreadful fishing practise will stop.
Already pristine, already priotected, and already with an airfield-The Chagos looks like a gilded opportuity for scuba diving.
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