Deep Sea Trawling and Fish Welfare

Bottom trawling causes massive bycatch mortality, habitat destruction, and acute welfare harm to billions of fish annually.

Key Facts

Bottom trawling covers an area of seabed twice the size of the contiguous US annually
Bycatch from trawling accounts for 40% of global catch — 63 billion pounds of non-target species
Fish caught in trawls experience pressure changes, crushing, and asphyxiation over hours
Coral and seabed communities destroyed by trawling take centuries to recover
Several countries and MPAs have banned bottom trawling; the UK continues to permit it in marine protected areas

Welfare Considerations

Bottom trawling is one of the highest-impact welfare issues in fisheries: billions of fish experience prolonged suffering during capture, and enormous quantities of non-target species are killed as bycatch with no productive use. The slow, distressed process of trawl capture — hours of constriction, pressure change, and asphyxiation — represents acute welfare harm at massive scale. More selective fishing methods, no-trawl zones, and reduced fishing effort in sensitive areas all have significant welfare benefits alongside conservation value.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood from non-trawl fisheries with Marine Stewardship Council certification
Advocate for a complete ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas
Support Oceana and the Environmental Justice Foundation anti-trawling campaigns
Learn about sustainable seafood guides for your region
Reduce consumption of species predominantly caught by bottom trawl (shrimp, sole, plaice)