Illustration of how trawling nets work to catch fish. (Source: Greenpeace, http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_full/canada/fr/photosvideos/chalutage-fond-illustration.jpg)
- Despite pleas and former agreements from the United Nations General Assembly, nations in Europe have chosen to continue destructive trawling practices to catch fish and other sea life
- The Council of Fisheries Ministers reported that catch quotas would be more or less the same for European Union countries over the next two years; however, there will be some fishing restrictions for a few species
- Critics of the Council of Fisheries Ministers’ decision say that they are not holding to their commitment to help preserve ocean species and ecosystems
- Trawling involves large nets dragged along the seafloor by fishing vessels, catching everything it comes in contact with and destroying the seabed. When the nets are brought up onto the boats, unwanted bycatch, many either dead or dying at that point, is simply thrown back into the water.
- Problems related to trawling include:
o Overfishing
o Destruction of coral and vegetation on the seafloor
o Disruption of the ecosystems
o Decrease in overall size and population of species: deep-sea species take a long time to recover, as they tend to reproduce and mature at a slower rate
- According to a British study, commercial trawling has “a more negative impact on the seafloor than all other major human activities combined”
Source:
Jolly, David. "Shrugging Off Criticism, Europe Will Keep Trawling". 3 Dec 2010. The New York Times. <http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/shrugging-off-criticism-europe-will-keep-trawling/>.
-- Erika Najarro
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