UK urged to ‘stand strong’ against EU on fishery closures to help seabirds

Ministers are being urged to “stand strong” on moves to close a fishery in UK waters to protect puffins and other wildlife in the face of EU opposition.

The UK Government announced the closure of all Scottish waters and the English North Sea to sand eel fishing – a key food source for seabirds along the British coasts – in January, with the move coming into force in late March.

But it has been challenged by the European Commission, which has requested consultation with the UK to discuss the legitimacy of the closures – in a move that conservationists have labelled as “shameful”.