Marine life worse off inside 'protected' areas, analysis reveals

Findings expose 'big lie' behind European marine conservation, scientists say

Destructive trawling is more intense inside official marine sanctuaries, while endangered fish are more common outside them, a startling analysis of Europe's seas has revealed.

It shows that far from conserving sealife, legal marine protection areas (MPAs) are in fact the places most damaged by industrial fishing. The work has exposed "the big lie" behind European marine conservation, experts say, with most MPAs completely open to trawling.