The invisible consequences of fishing: trawling contributes to climate change

Trawling is an important part of the fishing industry that provides us with fresh seafood. Have you ever wondered what happens at the bottom of the ocean when we fish? Does deep sea fishing affect our environment?

A recent study found that trawling is disrupting the carbon balance in our oceans, which ultimately affects our climate.

The deep sea and its carbon secrets

The deep sea is more than home to marine life. He acts as critical carbon sinkholding back more carbon than it emits.

Animal activity on the seafloor absorbs and moves this carbon into the deeper layers of the soil, storing it securely for thousands of years. But when fishing trawls stir up these sediments, it upsets the delicate natural balance.

Impact of trawling on climate

Research conducted in Helmholtz Center Chaereon – in collaboration with the Alfred Wegener Institute, the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel and the German Federation for Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) – brought attention to these lesser-known impacts of fishing.

The study provided important data on how bottom trawling impacts carbon storageespecially in the North Sea. Scientists examined more than 2,300 sediment samples from the North Sea.

“We found that sediment samples collected from heavily trawled areas contained lower amounts of organic carbon than samples collected from less trawled areas. fishing. We were able to attribute this effect to bottom trawling with a high degree of confidence,” said Dr. Wenyang Zhang, lead author of the study.

According to Dr. Zhang, the methodology used in this study reduces the uncertainty in estimating the regional and global impacts of trawl fisheries compared to previous estimates.

Carbon emissions from trawling

Experts have identified an alarming trend. Computer modeling shows steady decline seabed carbon concentration over the past few decades, and this decline has been associated with intensive trawling.

The vulnerable areas were the soft muddy bottom where the damage was most significant. When trawling occurs, it disturbs the sediment, releasing carbon from low oxygen environment into the water column filled with oxygen.

Here, microorganisms convert the carbon into carbon dioxide, or CO2, which can escape into the atmosphere. This heat-trapping greenhouse gas is a major contributor to climate change.

Dr Zhang’s team estimates that trawling alone in the North Sea releases around 1 million tonnes of CO2 from sediments each year. The global estimate is 30 million tonnes, down about 10% from previous global estimates.

Call for stronger seabed protection

The study’s findings highlight the need to better protect the ocean floor, with a particular focus on muddy habitats in marginal seas such as the North Sea.

Marine conservation efforts have traditionally focused on areas with hard sand bottoms and reefs. These areas, despite their ecological diversity, store less carbon.

“Our methods and results can be used to optimize marine spatial planning policies to estimate the potential carbon benefits of limiting or eliminating bottom trawling in protected areas,” said Dr Zhang.

Rethinking marine protection strategies

Findings on the climate impacts of trawling are prompting scientists and conservationists to reconsider current strategies for protecting the marine environment.

Traditional conservation efforts have focused on areas of high biodiversity, such as coral reefs and sandy seafloors, often overlooking soft, muddy habitats where trawling causes the greatest carbon destruction.

By shifting attention to these vulnerable, carbon-rich areas, policymakers could develop better regulations that not only protect marine life but also help mitigate the effects of climate change.

This new focus could include creating no-trawling zones in regions with high sediment loads, which would increase carbon stocks while protecting diverse ocean ecosystems.

While these strategies offer a path forward, it is important to understand the long-term impacts that seafloor disturbance has on the ability of our oceans to store carbon.

Long-term effects of seabed disturbance

Destruction of sediments from trawling has consequences beyond the immediate release of carbon.

Once these sediments are disturbed, they take years or even decades to stabilize and regain their ability to store carbon.

This long recovery period means that frequent trawling in the same areas could prevent the seabed from ever fully regaining its role as a carbon sink.

Trawling and climate change

Over time, this ongoing disturbance reduces the ocean’s natural ability to capture and store carbon, making it harder to address climate change.

Without intervention, these cumulative effects could lead to long-term losses in carbon storage capacity, the researchers warn, highlighting the importance of sustainable fishing practices and regulated trawling.

The study was published in the journal Nature.

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