New Perspectives on an Old Fishing Practice: Scale, Context and Impacts of Bottom Trawling

Abstract

Bottom trawling is a globally widespread fishing practice responsible for 26% of the total marine fisheries catch. Bottom trawling is a method for catching aquatic animals that involves dragging a weighted net to rigid structure from a vessel along the seafloor. This report seeks to provide new perspectives on this historical controversy by presenting the most up-to-date synthesis of available data and evidence on bottom trawling's extent, impacts and solutions in order to inform constructive policy-making.