The Guardian view on fishing and nature: bottom-trawling boats don't belong in conservation zones | Editorial

Sea life needs protection, and the UK's current system of marine management isn't up to itUp to 90% of the ocean floor around Britain is covered with sand and gravel, derived from the erosion of shell and rocks. Other, more unusual habitats include maerl beds, seagrass meadows and kelp forests. These biodiverse landscapes are home to 330 species of fish, as well as seals, seahorses and thousands of lesser?known species - which share them with the offshore energy, fishing and shipping industries.Heightened awareness of pollution from sewage and plastics means that the public knows more about marine conservation than it used to. For his 99th birthday this year, the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough made a film, Ocean, in which he described the seas as the planet's "greatest life support system", and urged people to get behind efforts to protect and renew marine nature.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...