Bottom trawling is one of the most destructive fishing methods in terms of habitat and bycatch. Its welfare implications extend to the billions of non-target species captured and the ecosystems destroyed.
The welfare implications of deep sea trawling are vast and largely invisible to consumers. Fish captured in trawls suffer crushing, asphyxiation, barotrauma from rapid pressure changes, and prolonged distress before death. Non-target species — starfish, sponges, coral — are destroyed in enormous quantities. The scale of suffering involved in a single trawl operation is difficult to comprehend. Transitioning to more selective, less destructive fishing methods is both a welfare and conservation imperative. Consumer choices and policy advocacy both play important roles.