September 26, 2022 — Ray Hilborn is a professor in School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington.
With the launch of several recent advocacy campaigns, bottom-trawling is squarely in the crosshairs of some environmental groups and media outlets that regurgitate their press releases.
There is no question that bottom-trawling has environmental impacts, as all food production does, but there is misinformation floating around about the true impact of bottom-trawling, especially in comparison to other types of fishing and food production. With campaigns like #BanBottomTrawling growing, I want to look at what the science says about the sustainability of bottom-trawling.