Dragging Our Assets

Bottom
trawling involves dragging large nets along the ocean floor, disrupting
everything in their path, including corals and other marine habitats.
Due to the non-selective nature of the gear, it also captures
significant levels of fish that are subsequently discarded as bycatch,
some of which are species at risk. Bottom trawling is also very fuel
intensive, consuming the greatest amount of fossil fuel per unit of
fish landed of any fishing method.

Canada’s approach to
addressing habitat impacts from bottom trawling is narrow in scope,
does not measure up to international best practices, and does not
fulfill the letter or the spirit and intent of international agreements
signed by Canada.

Dragging Our Assets: Toward an Ecosystem
Approach to Bottom Trawling in Canada, by David Suzuki Foundation
sustainable fisheries analyst Scott Wallace, offers recommendations to
reduce the ecological impact of bottom trawling while still maintaining
access to fisheries resources.

Published 2007

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