Quick Definition
A fishing method using a cone-shaped net (trawl) dragged through the water column or along the seabed by a vessel.
📖 Full Definition
Trawling involves dragging a large funnel-shaped net through the water (midwater trawling) or along the seafloor (bottom trawling) behind a vessel. Bottom trawling is the most productive but also most destructive fishing method: it disturbs or destroys benthic habitats (including cold-water coral reefs and sponge grounds), has high bycatch, and reduces habitat complexity. Midwater (pelagic) trawling targets schooling fish (herring, mackerel, blue whiting) with lower habitat impact. Global trawling covers an estimated 4.9 million km² of seafloor per year.
💡 Examples & Context
Deep-sea bottom trawling in the North Atlantic has destroyed cold-water coral (Lophelia pertusa) reef structures that took thousands of years to grow.