From the shore, the ocean may look peaceful. But deep below, one of the most destructive fishing methods is reshaping entire ecosystems: bottom trawling.

What Is Bottom Trawling?

Bottom trawling is an industrial fishing practice that drags massive nets—weighted by heavy chains or metal beams—across the seabed. While targeting one or two fish species, these nets scoop up everything in their path: coral, sponge gardens, ancient seagrasses, and entire habitats.

• Bottom trawling has an average bycatch rate of 31-55%, and some shrimp fisheries produce bycatch rates over 80%.
  
  

Is Bottom Trawling Harmful?

The damage isn’t just to marine life. Dragging heavy gear tears up seafloor habitats that can take decades or even centuries to recover. It also drastically reduces biodiversity, threatening countless species that depend on these habitats. This destruction affects the balance of marine ecosystems and the communities that rely on them for food and livelihoods.

Is Bottom Trawling Contributing to Climate Change?

Beyond ecosystem damage, bottom trawling stirs up massive amounts of carbon stored in ocean sediments, releasing it back into the water column and, ultimately, into the atmosphere. One study estimates that carbon emissions from bottom trawling rival those of the entire global airline industry. This makes bottom trawling not just a threat to marine life, but a significant contributor to climate change.

While billions rely on the ocean for food, heavily subsidized fleets continue to degrade fragile ecosystems and contribute to climate change—all while taking resources away from local, small-scale fishing communities.

Sustainable Solutions Exist

One example is Chippin’s use of invasive Silver Carp—an overpopulated species in U.S. waterways—to create nutrient-rich dog treats. By sourcing from invasive species instead of ocean fisheries, brands like Chippin show how pet nutrition can be part of the solution to protecting fragile ocean ecosystems.