Marine Fish Trawling Welfare Impacts

Bottom trawling and mid-water trawling cause significant welfare harm to billions of fish annually through capture stress, injury, and mortality; understanding these impacts informs seafood choices.

Key Facts

Bottom trawling covers an area twice the size of the contiguous US annually, disturbing seafloor ecosystems
Fish in trawl nets experience progressive crowding, pressure changes, and physical injury over hours
Swim bladder rupture from rapid pressure change causes pain and prevents survival for many deep-water species
Bycatch species not destined for market experience the same capture stress but are discarded, often dead or dying
Selective gear modifications including excluder devices reduce but do not eliminate non-target species capture

Welfare Considerations

Trawling causes welfare harm through the prolonged stress of capture, physical injury from crushing and abrasion within the net, barotrauma from rapid pressure changes for deep-water species, and suffocation during on-deck handling. Fish in trawl nets experience acute cortisol spikes and behavioral distress responses throughout the capture process. Discard of bycatch species represents welfare harm without even the partial justification of food production. Gear modification, area protection, and quota management reduce bycatch but address only part of the welfare picture.

What You Can Do

Choose pole-caught or hook-and-line caught seafood over trawl-caught alternatives where certified
Support Marine Stewardship Council certified fisheries with documented bycatch reduction requirements
Advocate for stronger bycatch regulations and gear modification requirements
Reduce consumption of species primarily captured by trawling with high bycatch rates