A new National Geographic Pristine Seas report finds nearly 5,000 trawlers in Europe release vast carbon emissions and disturb seafloor sediment, with a quarter of activity inside Marine Protected Areas.
The industry’s $200 million net profits are dwarfed by societal costs, as bycatch kills up to 75% of marine life caught and only 0.07% of European waters are fully protected from trawling.
Despite employing fewer people than small-scale fisheries and providing just 2% of Europe’s animal protein, bottom trawling continues, driven by subsidies and political influence, undermining conservation and local fishing communities.
Are Europe's protected seas truly protected or just 'paper parks' for industrial bulldozers?
Could banning destructive trawlers actually create more jobs and a healthier fishing economy?
Does the shrimp on your plate carry the hidden cost of obliterated ocean ecosystems?
Is the carbon impact of bottom trawling a climate disaster or a scientifically disputed claim?
Can concrete blocks succeed in saving marine habitats where international laws have failed?