Carbon released by bottom trawling ‘too big to ignore’, says study

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🗞️ Driving the news: A new study reveals that bottom trawling, a common fishing practice, releases a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, estimated at 370 million tonnes annually
• Over 1996-2020, this amounted to 8.5 to 9.2 billion tonnes of CO2, likened to "marine deforestation"

🔭 The context: Bottom trawling involves dragging large nets across the sea floor, disturbing sediments and releasing stored carbon
• This process not only harms marine ecosystems but also contributes to ocean acidification and reduces the oceans' capacity to absorb carbon
• The study utilized vessel-tracking databases and models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The released carbon from bottom trawling significantly contributes to global warming, akin to the emissions from the aviation industry
• This adds a critical dimension to understanding oceanic impacts on climate change, emphasizing the need for sustainable fishing practices

⏭️ What's next: The study's findings urge countries to include emissions from bottom trawling in their climate action plans
• Delaying action means these emissions will continue affecting the atmosphere for the next decade, highlighting the need for immediate interventions in the fishing industry

💬 One quote: "Much like destroying forests, scraping up the sea floor causes irreparable harm to the climate, society, and wildlife" (Dr. Trisha Atwood, aquatic ecologist at Utah State University)

📈 One stat: Bottom trawling releases 370 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, equivalent to the annual emissions from the entire global fishing fleet

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