Benthic Trawling

Benthic trawling, also called bottom trawling, is the towing of a weighted net in contact with the seabed to catch demersal fish, shrimp, and shellfish. Otter boards or a beam hold the net open while ground gear scrapes the bottom, raising concern over habitat damage to corals, sponges, and sediment structure, plus high discard rates. The EU technical-measures rules and several RFMOs require benthic-impact assessments and close vulnerable marine ecosystems to bottom contact. Gear modifications such as raised ground gear and selective panels reduce footprint and unwanted catch, but the method remains the dominant source of seabed disturbance from fishing.