"Behind a trawl fishing boat, a vast net can spend hours scraping the seafloor, funneling schools of fish toward a narrow bag at the back. A single tow can bring tens of thousands of pounds of seafood aboard.
That efficiency is why trawling has become central to some of the world’s largest commercial fisheries. But the gear that allows fishers to harvest large quantities at once can also catch unwanted marine life and harm seafloor ecosystems. Bottom trawling is the most extensive direct human physical disturbance to seabed habitats worldwide.
Pelagic, or midwater, trawls are designed to fish higher in the water column for species such as pollock and herring. But when those fish gather close to the bottom, parts of pelagic gear can also drag along the seafloor. The Associated Press witnessed this method onboard the F/V Progress in July.
Industrial trawl nets can be several football fields long and span hundreds of feet wide."
Annika Hammerschlag reports for the Associated Press October 9, 2026.
SEE ALSO:
"The Fish Behind America’s Fish Sticks Is Fueling A Fight Over Trawling In Alaska" (AP)
"Takeaways From AP’s Report On Alaska’s Growing Fight Over Trawling And Bycatch" (AP)
