The method of commercial fishing called bottom trawling is creating colossal damage throughout oceans and other bodies of water, endangering species and killing coral colonies, yet most people don’t even know what the term means.
Bottom trawling is a method of fishing where large nets are attached underneath boats and dragged along the bottom of a body of water. These nets are intended for catching shrimp, fish, and various other marine animals for human consumption; however, they cause immense destruction to the underwater ecosystems they travel through. Although Bottom trawling is an efficient way to fish, this practice harms marine animals that are caught in the giant nets, and the unwanted creatures, such as urchins and baby fish, are thrown back into the ocean dead or dying. This method of fishing is not only destroying the underwater ecosystems but limiting marine animals’ ability to thrive and reproduce, therefore ruining the future of the seafood industry.
The trawling nets average around 50 feet wide and ten feet tall with a wide mouth and tapered end. Two metal doors ensure that the net stays on the seafloor and that the mouth remains open. The doors are designed to disturb sediment and scare marine animals into the nets. Not only do these doors unnecessarily frighten sea creatures, but they also scrape along the seafloor and damage the fragile underwater habitats. When disturbed by trawls, 90 percent of coral colonies die, and the trawls can even prevent new growth from happening. Bottom trawling is irreversibly destroying century-old ecosystems in seconds, and although this damage is not easily seen, it occurs over more space than tropical deforestation. This devastation will take centuries to be repaired, and if continued, bottom trawling will wipe out many species.
Despite the substantial damage these nets do, they do also have some scientific benefits. Trawl nets are able to reach the seafloor more easily than humans as of now, especially the further down they go. These nets have the possibility of finding lesser-known and researched species and making them more easily available to scientists. However, new technologies, such as atmospheric diving suits and trimix gasses, are making it easier for humans to reach the seafloor, and the negative consequences of bottom trawling are not worth the benefits anymore.
Many restrictions have been put in place to attempt to protect ecosystems and local businesses, and countries such as the Philippines have been making laws concerning bottom trawling since 1954. Trawling is banned within 15 kilometers of shorelines, but due to lack of enforcement, this law is not followed by many companies. Other approaches to ending this harmful practice focus on the management of the fisheries. Some companies have been able to make less of an impact on the seafloor and sediment by changing the design of the doors on the nets, however, there is still much work left to be done.
