Bottom trawling in the North Sea generates enormous bycatch of non-target species. The welfare impacts of capture, barotrauma, and discarding are severe and largely unaddressed.
Bycatch welfare harms are multiple and severe. Fish caught in trawls experience crowding, pressure change, trauma from the codend, and prolonged air exposure. Discard mortality rates mean most bycatch dies regardless of return to sea. Invertebrates crushed by trawl doors and tickler chains suffer physical destruction. Gear modification and area closures offer meaningful welfare improvements alongside conservation outcomes.