Written question WQ88894

Fisheries management in Wales is the responsibility of the Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd.

If fishing activities, such as bottom trawling, adversely effect sensitive habitats within the Marine Protected Area network management interventions are required. The Welsh Government is working in partnership with Natural Resource Wales to undertake a structured evaluation of fishing activity interactions with features of Welsh Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This evaluation, the Assessing Welsh Fishing Activities (AWFA) project, will provide a robust evidence base on which to introduce fisheries management measures, where necessary, to safeguard MPA features from potentially damaging activities. Management measures could include banning or restriction of bottom trawling activities where appropriate.