New Study Quantifies Impact of Different Types of Bottom Trawls on Seabed Ecosystem
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Peggy Parker - July 19, 2017
In a new study, an international group of scientists found that comparing four types of fishing gear that touches the seafloor, otter trawls are the most benign and usually result in the best recovery times for animal life at the bottom.
“We found that otter trawls penetrated the seabed 2.4 cm on average and caused the least amount of depletion of marine organisms, removing 6% of biota per trawl pass on the seabed," said lead author Professor Jan Hiddink from Bangor University (UK).
"In contrast, we found that hydraulic dredges penetrated the seabed 16.1 cm on average and caused the greatest depletion, removing 41% of the biota per fishing pass.”
Depending on the type of fishing gear, penetration depth, and environmental variables....
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