Bottom-trawling

• A new law in Sri Lanka that outlaws bottom trawling has angered fishermen in India, who have organized a strike to protest the move.
• The law makes it illegal to either fish from, operate, or own a boat engaged in bottom trawling. It creates a penalty of a LKR 50,000 (USD 325, EUR 285) fine and up to two years of imprisonment for the offense.
• Foreign fishing vessels found to be engaged in bottom trawling or in importing equipment used in the practice in Sri Lankan waters face fines ranging from LKR 1 million to 100 million (USD 6,500 to 650,500, EUR 5,700 to 570,600).

What is bottom trawling?

• Bottom trawling is an industrial fishing method where a large net with heavy weights is dragged across the seafloor, scooping up everything in its path – from the targeted fish to the incidentally caught centuries-old corals.
• Bottom trawls are used in catching marine life that live on the seafloor, such as shrimp, cod, sole and flounder.

Why is it a problem?

• Bottom trawling is unselective and severely damaging to seafloor ecosystems. The net indiscriminately catches every life and object it encounters. Thus, many creatures end up mistakenly caught and thrown overboard dead or dying, including endangered fish and even vulnerable deep-sea corals which can live for several hundred years.
• This collateral damage, called bycatch, can amount to 90% of a trawl’s total catch. In addition, the weight and width of a bottom trawl can destroy large areas of seafloor habitats that give marine species food and shelter. Such habitat destructions can leave the marine ecosystem permanently damaged.

By: Vishal