Deutsche Umwelthilfe sues over bottom trawling in Wadden Sea National Park

Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) and the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) are taking legal action against bottom trawling activities within the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, with a court hearing scheduled for June 4, 2026. The environmental groups contend that the responsible authorities are failing to uphold their duty to protect sensitive seabed habitats, acting in violation of EU nature conservation law.

The lawsuit targets the Schleswig-Holstein State Office for Coastal Protection, National Parks, and Marine Conservation (LKN.SH). DUH and EJF are demanding that the legally required habitat impact assessment for bottom trawling be conducted and that this fishing method be completely prohibited within the national park. The organizations state that bottom trawling, which occurs for thousands of hours annually, damages structurally important habitats such as sand coral reefs, which have already disappeared from the park.

According to Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Federal Managing Director of DUH, the national park must not exist merely on paper. He emphasized that bottom trawling must cease within the park, and as authorities have not taken action, the groups are now seeking legal protection for the Wadden Sea.

Steve Trent, CEO and Founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation, stated that bottom trawling has no place in protected areas. He highlighted that these areas serve as nurseries and refuges for marine life, forming the basis for sustainable fisheries in the long term. The continued destruction of protected habitats is unjustifiable socially, economically, or ecologically.

Scientific research has long indicated that bottom trawling causes significant damage to seabed habitats, reducing biomass and biodiversity, and leading to long-term alterations in sediment structure and food webs within the Wadden Sea and other parts of the North Sea. Furthermore, the EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive identifies "widespread bottom trawling" as the primary pressure impacting these habitats.