Europe's Bottom Trawling Inflicts Billions in Hidden Environmental Costs
A grim scene on the decks of European fishing vessels—a crushed mixture of dead crabs, conger eels, starfish, and mud—epitomizes the devastating environmental toll of bottom trawling. This industrial fishing method, which accounts for nearly a quarter of the world's wild-caught seafood, violently drags heavy nets across the seafloor, indiscriminately killing marine life as bycatch and destroying delicate ocean habitats. The financial math of this practice reveals a staggering imbalance. While the industry generates an estimated €180 million in annual profits, it inflicts a colossal $15 billion in hidden societal costs through environmental destruction. A significant portion of this cost comes from the massive release of carbon dioxide. Research indicates that the churning of seafloor sediment by bottom trawlers injects up to 370 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere globally each year, with European-flagged vessels responsible for nearly a third of that total, or 112 million metric tons—a figure scientists say is 'too big to ignore.' Despite the severe ecological and economic consequences, the practice continues widely across Europe, even within designated marine protected areas. This has spurred calls for policy changes, with examples like Türkiye's Gökova Bay, where a ban on bottom trawling has led to notable marine recovery, offering a potential blueprint for sustainable fishery management and a path forward for other European nations.
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Europe’s Trawlers Extract a Huge ‘Cost to Society’ in Bycatch and Carbon Dioxide - Inside Climate News
Perhaps you noticed: This story, like all the news we publish, is free to read. That’s because Inside Climate News is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We do not charge a subscription fee, lock our news behind a paywall, or clutter our website with ads.
European Bottom Trawling Devastates Marine Life and Releases Massive CO2 Emissions - EnviroLink Network
The gruesome scene on a European fishing vessel's deck tells a devastating environmental story. What was once vibrant ocean life now lies as a crushed soup of dead crabs and conger eels, mixed with half a ton of mud, squashed starfish, and broken shells scattered across the salt-covered floor.
Europe's seafloor fishing looks profitable until societal costs turn the math upside down
The industrial fishing practice, ... called bycatch. Earlier research finds that globally, the churning of seafloor sediment by bottom trawling is responsible for injecting up to 370 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. The new study suggests that nearly a third of this (112 million metric tons) is coming from European-flagged trawlers...
Nearly a quarter of the world’s wild-caught seafood is scooped up by bottom trawlers, fishing vessels that drag heavy nets over the seafloor. These boats fish the world over and support numerous global seafood supply chains. Yet critics have dogged them as environmentally unfriendly.
European Bottom Trawling Devastates Marine Life and Releases Massive CO2 Emissions - EnviroLink Network
The gruesome scene on a European fishing vessel's deck tells a devastating environmental story. What was once vibrant ocean life now lies as a crushed soup of dead crabs and conger eels, mixed with half a ton of mud, squashed starfish, and broken shells scattered across the salt-covered floor.
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