An NGO coalition requests the prohibition of this low-selective and destructive method in Europe’s protected marine areas. At the global level, it concerns 26% of the catches, sometimes outside the exclusive economic zones of the states.
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While the European Union prepares, for the spring, an “ocean action plan” to protect marine ecosystems, environmental organizations focus on a fishing technique in particular: the trawling of the seabed. It consists of scraping the ocean floor with heavy gear, capturing species without distinction or almost, all at large fuel reinforcement. It is considered “the most harmful to the environment and climate” by a coalition of NGOs – Oceana, Seas at Risk, Our Fish, Environmental Justice Foundation among others.
In the context of the public consultation open until 10 January, it submitted on 20 December 2021 a petition, with more than 152,000 signatories, to the European Commissioner in charge of this sector, Virginjus sinkevicius. She asks for the immediate banish of background trawling in all protected marine areas – it is currently far from being the case in Germany, the Netherlands, or in France. This practice is also denounced in A detailed synthesis published on December 9 , written by some 40 academics, NGOs and environmental consultants, with the financial support of US foundations. (Oceans 5, Oak Foundation and Oceankind).
In the world, bottom trawls – Whatever the size of the boat and the fillet model – cut a large share of all fisheries: about 26%, report the authors. Each year, these nets go back to at least 30 million tonnes of sea products, or roughly the equivalent of what attracts all the artisan fishermen. The rest corresponds to various other gear: Pelagic trawl trawl, nets posed, longlines, etc., industrial or not. The background trawlers operate almost exclusively in the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of coastal countries, rarely ventures beyond 200 nautical miles. They are confined even in part within 12 miles of the shore where they make 20% of their catches. They are then in direct competition with the small boats of the craftsmen and the canoes of the local communities.
Fierce rivalry between states
“Global catches could increase if there was less trawling. When overfishing, yields decrease for all,” says Daniel Paly. This internationally recognized specialist is at the origin of the Canadian University of British Columbia Program Sea Around US, which has reconstituted decades of seaside catches from 1950 to 2018. The report on the impacts of background trawling. Relys on this exceptional database, as well as a review of the scientific literature. Its authors find that this fishing method peaked by 36.5 million tonnes in 1989, before declaring all around the globe. Except in Asia, which did not follow the same trend, on the contrary.
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