Germany's North Sea is home to two extraordinary but very different marine ecosystems: the coastal Wadden Sea and the offshore Dogger Bank.

The Wadden Sea, a vast intertidal landscape of tidal flats and saltmarshes, is the hidden nursery of the North Sea—supporting huge numbers of migratory birds, seals and invertebrates and ranking among one of the world's most important intertidal ecosystems. Further offshore, the sandy shallows of the Dogger Bank sustain an abundance of life: cod, flatfish, porpoises, plankton, seabirds, starfish, whales and many other species thrive in and above this habitat. Together, they reflect the richness of Germany's North Sea from coast to open water. Yet, both remain under pressure from bottom trawling, which threatens the fragile habitats on which this biodiversity and the fisheries of the future depend.

In 2024, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) e.V. filed a lawsuit against the German federal government, which authorizes bottom trawling each year in the German marine protected area (Natura 2000 site) on the Dogger Bank without conducting the mandatory appropriated assessment required under the European Habitats Directive. The impact assessment is the cornerstone of European nature conservation law. It ensures that protection and conservation objectives are not compromised. 

In June 2026, Environmental Action Germany (DUH)—supported by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)—filed a lawsuit against the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. The lawsuit challenges the authorization of bottom-trawl fishing in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park without conducting the required assessments. By failing to take action against destructive bottom trawling, Schleswig-Holstein is in violation of European nature conservation law. The DUH and EJF are calling for the mandatory assessment of impacts required under the Habitats Directive, a ban on bottom-trawling within the national park, and robust protective measures for this vital North Sea nursery area.

Learn more about the movement against bottom trawling in these protected areas.