Trawling the Ocean Floor

Besides the effect of overfishing, there are many other fish related problems that are effecting the oceans ecosystem. These include the trawling of the ocean floor and the waste left behind by fisheries which is destroying the once healthy ocean ecosystem.

According to Ocean Canada bottom line trawls have the most severe impact on ocean ecosystems. Based on this analysis of the volume of fish caught by fishing gear type, the gear used most extensively in Canada also has the highest ecological impact. Trawls are a type of equipment that drags along the bottom of the ocean. The two main concerns with trawling are the lack of selectivity it provides and damage to habitats at the bottom of the ocean.

Trawls are unselective as the sweep across the bottom of the ocean floor. Any part of the catch that can't be used is considered by-catch and can range from illegal sizes of fish to endangered species. Many times dolphins, sharks and sea turtles are caught in the trawls.

Trawls and the other equipment are also very heavy and can damage the seabed as it is dragged along. This can include coral shattering, re-suspension of debris and microorganisms, and "clear cutting" sea weed. Re-suspension can redistribute harmful sediments that had previously been untouched for thousands of year and carry it over 10 thousand miles away. these sediments can include pesticides leading to algae booms, and light reflecting pigments which hinder the ability of plants to grow due to the lack of sunlight. In 2010 the UN Secretary general stated that, "95 percent of damage to sea mount ecosystems worldwide is caused by deep sea bottom trawling." However with little legislation bottom trawling continues to wreck havoc. Canada has little laws in place consider this scale of damage being done to its coast lines.