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In 2023, only two trawlers were still authorized by the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement.

"But most of the time it's people anchoring where they shouldn't and fishing trawlers sometimes scrape along the seabed, so typically we would see scars from trawling."

Her husband, who usually works in the southern state of Kerala, was home that day, repairing a fishing net at the nearby trawler.

The dispute centres on whether the UK's right to restrict trawlers for conservation reasons unnecessarily restricts agreed EU fishing rights.

These reefs were so full of oysters that they were a noted concern for sail trawlers, who risked breaking their fishing gear on the heavy clumps of shell.