NPR

For 50 Years, Deep-Water Trawls Likely Caught More Fish Than Anyone Thought

Using historical data and estimates from deep-sea trawls that drag nets along the ocean floor, researchers estimate that millions of tons of catch have gone unreported in the last 50 years.
Deep-sea trawling can include bycatch and harm coral, so some activists want it banned.

Long before it lands on a restaurant menu, Chilean sea bass takes quite a journey to arrive on land. To catch these deep-sea dwellers, fishers usually drag nets along the ocean floor a quarter of a mile, or more, beneath the ocean's surface — a form of fishing called bottom trawling.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization tries to keep tabs on bottom trawling, which rakes in juvenile fish and lots of other ocean species that are not the desired catch, depleting future fish stocks. It asks member countries to adhere to quotas and report

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Japanese American Authors Tell Of WWII Experiences In New Collection
The collection features works by Japanese American authors impacted by the forced relocation of 125,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry by the U.S. government during World War II.
NPR2 min read
Embrace Olives: Recipes And Tips For Cooking With Different Varieties
You know the game you play where you have to name 10 foods you would bring to a desert island? When tasked with answering this complex question I always choose olives as one of my forever foods. They are meaty and briny, salty and complex. I love nea
NPR3 min read
Supreme Court Upholds Louisiana Redistricting Plan
A federal district court ruled that the new map drawn by the state legislature violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the Black vote. A group of conservatives challenged the legislature's map.

Related Books & Audiobooks