Marine Animals

Deep-Sea Fishing and Untargeted Species Welfare

Deep-sea bottom trawling destroys seafloor ecosystems and catches enormous quantities of untargeted species including vulnerable long-lived fish.

Key Facts

Bottom trawls can destroy deep-sea coral forests that took thousands of years to develop
Deep-sea fish including orange roughy can live over 100 years and reproduce very slowly
Bycatch in deep-sea trawls includes sharks, rays, and many commercially non-viable species
Decompression during retrieval causes fatal barotrauma in all deep-sea fish species
Deep-sea fisheries can collapse quickly due to slow reproductive rates of target species

Welfare Considerations

Deep-sea trawling causes welfare harms through barotrauma during retrieval and destruction of complex habitat that supports animal communities. Long-lived deep-sea fish brought from high pressure depths suffer progressive organ failure from pressure change. The ecological destruction of trawled areas eliminates habitat for centuries. No-take marine protected areas are the most effective conservation and welfare intervention.

What You Can Do

Avoid purchasing deep-sea fish species including orange roughy, grenadier, and rattails
Support establishment of deep-sea marine protected areas banning bottom trawling
Advocate for international agreements restricting bottom trawling in international waters
Choose seafood from shallow-water sustainable fisheries with lower bycatch and ecosystem impact
Learn about deep-sea ecosystem ecology and the species threatened by bottom trawling