The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution report, entitled Turning the tide: Addressing the impact of fisheries on the marine environment, claims that fisheries policies have failed and that radical change is needed. "Around the world, there's evidence that creating marine reserves - areas where fishing is not allowed - leads to a several fold increase in the size and number of fish, shellfish and other animals," said Royal Commission chair Sir Tom Blundell.
"Successful schemes also exist closer to home. In just 18 months, a closed area near Lundy Island, Devon, produced a three-fold increase in lobster numbers. Increasing such protection, along with other measures to cut fishing effort, could yield huge benefits for the marine environment in a relatively few years."
However, not everyone is in agreement. Fisheries minister Ben Bradshaw told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that more time should be given to implement measures that have already been taken.
"If we did what (Blundell) is suggesting now, we would put the whole of the Scottish white fishing industry out of business," he said. "I think for the time being we should wait and see whether the measures we have already taken on cod recovery in the North Sea work."
This is certainly the view of those on the front line. "The radical recommendation of the RCEP report to close down much of the UK coastline would have a devastating impact on the fishing industry and the communities that rely on it, said the Sea Fish Industry Authority in a statement.
"Stocks are showing signs of recovery but if these recommendations are put in place there will be no fishing industry around to take advantage of EU fishing opportunities for which British pain will have been taken."
These are difficult times for the UK's fishing industry. A 34 per cent reduction in boats of the Scottish white fish fleet is already in force, with further restrictions on cod fishing areas in the Irish Sea and North Sea already in place.
On top of this, the UK fish sector is being squeezed by foreign competition. The recent surge in imports of farmed Atlantic salmon, which increased 14.7 per cent in January to September 2003, compared to the same period in 2002, has hit the Scottish sector in particular.
There are fears that the Scottish salmon industry is being overtaken by highly automated Norwegian producers, which has helped to turn a food that was once considered a rare delicacy into an every day product.
But with more than 40 per cent of commercial fish species in the north-east Atlantic and neighbouring seas outside sustainable limits, the Commission report is adamant that fishing urgently needs to be addressed. "Fishing should first be assessed for its effect on marine ecosystems and be brought under a framework of environmental protection," said Blundell.
The Commission believes that a new Marine Act is needed to clarify the complex system of legislation governing the sea, with the power to set high-level targets for protection and provide clear guidelines for users. It also wants a range of new measures to be implemented.
"There are some particularly damaging fishing practices which we believe should be strictly controlled," said Blundell. "One of these is deep-sea fishing, which can damage the sea-bed and result in the capture and death of other animals. We recommend that the UK government should prohibit deep-sea fishing in UK waters, or by UK vessels, and press for similar restrictions at the European level."
The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent body, funded by government, which publishes in-depth reports on what it identifies as the crucial environmental issues facing the UK and the world. Its reports are presented to Parliament.