A recent study by scientists at Utah State University found that seabed trawling releases about 340 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. That is nearly 1 per cent of global CO2 emissions, a major contribution that has been overlooked until now. Their studies suggest that about 55% of the carbon released by trawling will enter the atmosphere within nine years.
Seabed trawling is a destructive fishing practice that involves dragging weighted nets across the seafloor to catch bottom-dwelling fish, crustaceans, and shellfish. The practice damages seafloor environments such as coral reefs and stirs up sediments, providing the oxygen that microbes need to break down organic matter into carbon dioxide. Those sediments might otherwise continue to build up for many millennia, preserved by low-oxygen conditions, so the carbon is locked away.
To put this into perspective, global CO2 emissions from human activities hit 40.9 gigatonnes in 2023. The emissions from trawling alone account for approximately 0.8% of this total, which is almost a third of the emissions from aviation and shipping combined.
Conservationists argue that these findings underscore the need for action to reduce the environmental impact of trawling. Suggestions include bans on destructive fishing practices and transitioning towards more sustainable methods. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and strategies will likely differ based on local ecosystems and economies.
We must take action to reduce the impact of seabed trawling on our planet. We can do this by banning the practice in sensitive areas, by developing more sustainable fishing methods, and by supporting research into the environmental impacts of seabed trawling.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ocean-trawling-may-release-locked-away-carbon/
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Bapon (SHM) Fakhruddin, PhD 