‘THE GREAT TRAWL CASE’: BLOOM LAUNCHES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE FRENCH STATE

‘The Great Trawl Case’: BLOOM launches legal action against the French state to end the ecological damage caused by bottom trawling in metropolitan waters. As marine ecosystems continue to be destroyed and political inaction persists—highlighted most recently by the failure of the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3), hosted by France in Nice from June 9 to 13—BLOOM is holding the French government accountable.

On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, BLOOM submitted a formal legal notice to the French State, demanding immediate action to stop the ecological damage caused by the degradation of metropolitan waters and marine biodiversity. This deterioration is largely attributable to bottom trawling, a fishing technique that is both destructive to the environment and harmful to small-scale fisheries, and which can only continue to exist thanks to massive public subsidies.

 There is a long-established and unambiguous scientific consensus on the role of bottom trawling in degrading marine ecosystems. Therefore, its continued use is incompatible with both European and national legal frameworks that aim to protect marine environments.

To put an end to the ecological damage (1) caused by the degradation of metropolitan waters and marine biodiversity, BLOOM has adopted a ground-breaking, comprehensive legal approach, analysing the harms caused by bottom trawling across all four French maritime zones and referencing all applicable regulations.

 This legal action is based on numerous scientific assessments and legal obligations, including:

(i) the  ecosystem  protection goals of the Common  Fisheries  Policy  (CFP) (2);

(ii) the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)(3), which required that good environmental status (GES) of marine ecosystems be achieved or maintained by 2020 and is accompanied by scientific assessments of ecosystem health;

(iii) a full review of Natura 2000 areas affected by bottom trawling, where the impact of fishing activities must, in principle, be subject to fishing risk assessments (FRA);

(iv) regulations governing the three-nautical-mile coastal zone, where bottom trawling is theoretically banned, yet still widely practiced through exemptions;

(v) Mediterranean-specific regulations, where bottom trawling should be prohibited in all marine protected areas designated for the conservation of vulnerable ecosystems such as Posidonia seagrass, maërl beds, and corals.

BLOOM has identified numerous failures on the part of France: failure to achieve GES, failure to apply FRA in Natura 2000 areas, excessive bottom trawling within the three-nautical-mile zone, and non-compliance with trawling bans in Mediterranean protected areas. Current bottom trawling practices prevent France from fulfilling its environmental commitments.

BLOOM’s formal legal notice, a necessary step before judicial proceedings, demands that the French government take concrete action to remedy and halt the ecological damage occurring in French metropolitan waters, in accordance with current law. If the State fails to act, BLOOM will refer the matter to the administrative courts.

The deception and irresponsibility of political leaders regarding today’s environmental and social challenges must end. It is time to enact meaningful change to stop the destruction of life—and the people who depend on it—both on land and at sea.