Advancing marine conservation
Our new infographic breaks down the hidden pressures of bottom trawling. From seahorses to sharks, more than 3,000 fish species have been caught in bottom trawls, including many at risk of extinction, according to our latest study published in Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. Drawing on more than 9,000 records from 1895 to 2021, our …
All eyes on a healthy ocean this #WorldOceanDay, and that means looking beneath the waves. Seahorses depend on habitats like seagrass, corals, and sponges, where they cling with their tails and shelter from predators. But these same habitats can be damaged by bottom trawling, a destructive fishing practice that drags heavy nets scraping the seafloor. …
A major #WorldOceanDay moment for our research! Today, The New York Times draws on our recent research, The global diversity of marine fishes caught in bottom trawl fisheries, to argue why it is time to rethink this widespread and problematic fishing practice. Our research revealed that bottom trawls have caught more than 3,000 fish species worldwide – …
China’s bottom trawl fisheries have grown into one of the largest in the world – but rapid expansion over the decades have come with major environmental costs. For this week’s #ThrowbackThursday, we look to a review of China’s fisheries policies from 1949-2018. While the country has introduced more conservation regulations over time, the study highlights …
In a new article for The Conversation Sarah Foster and Amanda Vincent share new research showing that nearly 3,000 fish species have been documented in bottom trawl catches – with modelled estimates suggesting the true number could be far higher. https://theconversation.com/bottom-trawling-is-scraping-oceans-of-wildlife-280780
#EndBottomTrawling #ProjectSeahorse
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New peer-reviewed research estimates that bottom trawling in Europe’s waters costs society up to €16 billion annually, largely due to climate impacts and harmful subsidies, compounded by waste through discards and intensive fuel use. These findings make clear that bottom trawling carries enormous economic and public interest costs.… Read more
Sturgeon, J. (April 27, 2026) Europe’s Trawlers Extract a Huge ‘Cost to Society’ in Bycatch and Carbon Dioxide. Inside Climate News (Article) https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27042026/europe-bottom-trawlers-ocean-emissions/
Bottom trawlers drag giant nets across the ocean floor, releasing stored CO2 and killing up to 75 percent of the marine life unintentionally caught up in the process. … Read more
Dasgupta, S. (April 22, 2026) Study finds bottom trawling nets 3,000 marine fish species, including threatened ones. Mongabay (Article) https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/04/study-finds-bottom-trawling-nets-3000-marine-fish-species-including-threatened-ones/… Read more
Crawford, T. (April 10, 2026) Bottom sea trawlers snaring many endangered species: UBC study. Vancouver Sun (Article) https://vancouversun.com/news/bottom-sea-trawlers-snaring-endangered-species-ubc… Read more
Hutchins, R. (April 09, 2026) World-first study exposes the breadth of bottom trawling’s catch. Oceanographic (Article) https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/world-first-study-exposes-the-breadth-of-bottom-trawlings-catch/… Read more
