A supertrawler nicknamed 'Codzilla' trawled for fish in a Marine Conservation Zone set up to protect threatened species in the English Channel. Tracking data shows that the Dutch-owned Margiris, one of the world's biggest fishing vessels and a floating processing factory, strayed into the 229-square mile 'Offshore Overfalls' zone several times in the past three weeks. This and other zones were announced with a fanfare in 2016 but no legal measures have been set up to prevent fishing in the supposedly protected waters. Campaigners say more dead dolphins and porpoises are found when a mega-trawler is in the area. But a Government spokesman blamed the EU Common Fisheries Policy and said 'taking back control of our waters' after Brexit would enable tougher action.

Source: Daily Mail October 31, 2019 00:35 UTC