Marine

Wild Prawn Trawl Bycatch Advanced Welfare

Prawn trawling has among the worst bycatch ratios of any fishery. For every kilogram of prawns, up to 20 kg of non-target species are caught, causing mass welfare harm.

Key Facts

Tropical prawn trawl bycatch ratios can reach 20:1 bycatch to target species
UK Nephrops trawl bycatch includes significant juvenile fish and invertebrate catch
Turtle excluder devices and fish excluder devices reduce bycatch substantially
MSC certification has improved standards but bycatch welfare remains challenging

Welfare Considerations

Prawn trawl bycatch welfare represents one of the most severe documented welfare harms in commercial fisheries. The organisms caught, injured, and discarded include fish showing pain responses, crustaceans, and invertebrates. Reducing prawn consumption from high-bycatch fisheries is a direct welfare action.

What You Can Do

Reduce consumption of tropical prawns from high-bycatch trawl fisheries
Choose UK-sourced cold water prawns with lower bycatch ratios where possible
Ask supermarkets about their prawn sourcing bycatch reduction commitments