Instate a moratorium on deep sea bottom trawling

The Pacific Fishery Management Council, which regulates West Coast fishing, chose a plan Wednesday that will ban bottom trawling in depths beyond about 4, feet and dozens of shallower areas believed to be critical habitat for groundfish such as rockfish, ling Cod and Dover sole. The plan is aimed at protecting coral beds, kelp forests, rocky reefs and other sensitive fish habitat from trawling — a fishing practice in which weighted nets are dragged on the ocean floor to scoop up bottom-dwelling species. California and Washington have banned trawling in state waters that extend three miles from the shore. Other types of fishing are allowed in the no-trawl zones.

The European Union has one of the largest deep-sea fishing fleets in the world and some of the most impacted deep-sea stocks. Bottom trawlers drag huge, weighted nets along the deep seafloor, wiping out all in their path, including corals and sponges that have flourished for thousands of years. To help ensure protection for deep-sea ecosystems, on 30 June the European Parliament, Council of Ministers and European Commission agreed a new EU deep-sea fishing regulation that includes a ban on bottom trawling below metres and would close areas where vulnerable marine ecosystems are known to — or are likely to — occur. Arrasto de fundo proibidoa mais de metros EU Decision-Makers Draw a Line Under Deep-Sea Bottom Trawling Plymouth and Oxford scientists in sea life conservation bid Deep Atlantic: Scientists launch ocean mission Nederland kan verbod diepzeevissen laatste zetje geven El cuento de nunca acabar o la reforma de la ley de pesca en aguas profundas. Clive Trueman Dr. Ban deep-sea bottom trawling.

Jump to navigation. We have good news from Brazil, where the government of the state of Rio Grande do Sul located in the south of Brazil, next to Uruguay has passed a law to ban bottom trawling in state waters. These new protections extend along the entire length of the state's kilometer coast and cover a distance out to 12 nautical miles In total, an area of more than 13, square kilometers is now protected.

Bottom trawling is trawling towing a trawl , which is a fishing net along the sea floor. It is also referred to as "dragging". The scientific community divides bottom trawling into benthic trawling and demersal trawling. Benthic trawling is towing a net at the very bottom of the ocean and demersal trawling is towing a net just above the benthic zone.