Bottom Trawling, Gillnetting, and Long-Lining (Restriction) (Amendment) Bill

A

BILL

TO

Remove scientific study exemptions for harmful fishing practices and repeal the Bottom Trawling Act 2022

BE IT ENACTED by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Section 1: Repeals

(1) The Bottom Trawling Act 2022 is repealed.

(2) Section 3 of the Bottom Trawling, Gillnetting, and Long-Lining (Restriction) Act 2019 is hereby repealed.

Section 2: Existing Exemptions

(1) All Existing Exemptions granted under Section 3 of the Bottom Trawling, Gillnetting, and Long-Lining (Restriction) Act 2019 are hereby void.

Section 2: Exemptions

(1) A person is exempt from Section 1(2) of the Bottom Trawling, Gillnetting, and Long-Lining (Restriction) Act 2019 if the purpose is for archival reasons or for usage in museums.

Section 3: Commencement

(2) This Act comes into force at the end of the period of 3 months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed.

Section 4: Short Title

(1) This Act may be cited as the Bottom Trawling, Gillnetting, and Long-Lining (Restriction) (Amendment) Act 2024.

This Bill was introduced by The Rt Hon Marquess of Stevenage, Sir u/Muffin5136, KT KP KD GCVO KCT KCMG KBE MP MS MLA PC on behalf of the Green Party

Opening Speech:

Speaker,

In 2022, the Conservatives brought into place an ill-thought out Bill to attempt to introduce legislation that covered an already regulated and legislated upon topic. Unfortunately, this House passed that bill into law, a bill I proudly voted against at the time. It is time to repeal that legislation that wastes space in our books, and introduced a duty which the Government duly ignored.

The bill was pointless given we already had legislation on the books from 2019 which outlawed the practices of bottom-trawling, Gill netting and long lining, however it included an exemption that I would argue is wholly pointless, in that it allows for these destructive methods if for scientific research.

This Bill sets up a blanket ban for these practices by outlawing the exemption, and I would urge the House to back this bill.

This reading ends at 10pm GMT on 25th March.