Trawlerman fears livelihood will be lost over ban

John Worthington does not believe a ban in areas such as Morecambe Bay are needed

One of the last surviving commercial fishermen in a coastal town said potential bans on a type of trawling could kill off his livelihood.

The government is proposing a ban on a "destructive" type of fishing that drags large nets along the seabed - known as "bottom trawling".

John Worthington, 59, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, does not believe a ban in areas such as Morecambe Bay is needed, because the number of fishing boats has tailed off compared to previous eras.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service if the plans go ahead to prohibit using bottom towed gear, it will force him to fish 20 miles out to sea which he said would be untenable and unsafe for his small vessels.

The measures are being considered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and a 12-week consultation is running until 1 September.

Morecambe Bay, where Mr Worthington fishes, is among the 42 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) being considered for the move.

It said habitats and species are at risk from damaging fishing activity and their protection and recovery will contribute to healthier marine ecosystems and support the long-term sustainability of commercial fish stocks.

Mr Worthington has two small commercial fishing vessels - a trawler and a prawner - which are under 33ft (10m).

The fisherman, who has been in the trade since he was a teenager, said: "If they go ahead with this, it will force me to fish out of my area and I'll be 20 miles out.

"That is too far for a small boat like mine, it isn't safe.

"We have already been barred from some of our existing fishing grounds and now this. How do they expect us to make a living?"

Mr Worthington is based in Jubilee Quay in Fleetwood

The UK's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations has pushed back on the claims of environmental impact with chief executive Mike Cohen previously saying: "Trawling does not damage most of the seabed.

"Trawls penetrate the sediment very little, if at all, in most areas and trawling has been carried out for well over 100 years."

Mr Worthington, who is based in Jubilee Quay, is one of a handful of Fleetwood fishermen left from the once huge industry in the town, which dramatically collapsed when deep sea fishermen were banned from their traditional fishing grounds off Iceland after the final Cod War in 1979.

MMO acting chief executive Michelle Willis said: "Our latest proposals are based on draft fisheries assessments which have concluded management measures are necessary to ensure, beyond reasonable scientific doubt, that the conservation objectives of the MPAs included in the stage can be achieved."