ElasmOcean is opposed to bottom trawling - this is not new information. The damage to the seabed, the dolly rope issue caused by plastic threads in the ocean, and the indiscriminate, unselective extraction of all marine organisms - three strong arguments on our side. There is a fourth, powerful argument: bottom trawling is a major driver of climate change! We are, of course, familiar with the "idyllic" shrimp cutters of the German North Sea, their fishing trips operating from scenic home ports such as Greetsiel or Cuxhaven. Unsuspecting tourists appreciate this "traditional fishery" and enjoy crab rolls from the local fish stall. These are traditions that must be thoroughly reconsidered. A recent study by Utah State University in Logan (USA) demonstrates that up to 370 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) are released into the atmosphere via global bottom trawling. For context: this represents approximately half the emissions generated by global aviation. The seabed is the largest carbon sink on our planet. Bottom trawls continually disturb it. The seabed stores roughly twice as much carbon as terrestrial soils. Although shallow shelf seas like the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, with their muddy sediments, cover less than ten per cent of the global ocean surface, they store almost 90 per cent of the annually sequestered carbon. Within seven to nine years, more than half (55-60%, equivalent to 370 million tonnes) of this carbon is released into the atmosphere as CO2. The remainder remains dissolved in sea water, accelerating ocean acidification. Both outcomes have severe consequences for marine ecosystems and human populations. Bottom trawling is more damaging to the climate than any other fishing method. From our perspective, there is only one viable solution: this fishing technique must be abolished. We are sometimes accused of holding a radical, uncompromising stance. But what are the alternatives? A replaceable fishing technique that is more climate-damaging than any other, results in up to 90% bycatch, and destroys the seabed - severely in shallow areas and almost irreversibly in the deep sea. Or alternatively, stubbornly adhering to this replaceable (!) fishing technique despite knowing these facts. Which is more radical? We are confident we have found the correct answer. Source: Atwood et al., Atmospheric CO2 emissions and ocean acidification from bottom-trawling, 2023, https://www.frontiersin.org/.../fmars.2023.1125137/full (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1125137)
