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BENTHIS publication – Bottom trawling may enhance fish production
Bottom trawling may enhance fish production by manipulating the seafloor ecosystem.
Our model study shows that side-effects of bottom trawl fishing could stimulate the growth of the fish it targets. Trawl gears potentially damage bottom fauna, but this research shows that exactly this much-criticized aspect of trawling can alter the seafloor food web so as to stimulate the production of fish.
Fishermen have long argued that positive effects of trawling exist. This study provides a theoretical basis for such claims and shows for which type of seafloor ecosystems it can occur. These results imply that understanding the seabed ecosystem is key for successful fishery management.