Bottom trawling, characterized by dragging a weighted net along the seabed, indiscriminately catches and harms every organism in its path. With thorough and insightful analysis, this research paper delves into the complexities surrounding bottom trawling, revealing its profound effects on fishers.
This research analyses the nature of human dependence on bottom trawling as a necessary precursor to constraining its impact. Bottom trawling can negatively affect fishers, resulting in fewer opportunities for artisanal and small-scale fishers, diminished food security, increased human rights violations, and social and violent conflicts. This study focuses on India, where trawling started in 1956 and where 79% of total landings by trawls that targeted shrimp were already gathering unintended catches by 1979. While the obvious solution seems to be to limit bottom trawling, decision-makers are often challenged by conflicting economic, social, and environmental imperatives. The objective of the study was to understand fishers’ motivations to start, stay in and stop bottom trawling to better address challenges faced by decision-makers.
Drawing from a meticulous, systematic literature review, the authors unravel the drivers and motivations that entice fishers and the fishery to start, engage in, and stop bottom trawling in India. Their efforts have resulted in formulating a new framework that distinguishes between stakeholders’ diverse economic, social, and environmental motivations. Moreover, their study highlights a pressing reality: fishers do not always want to fish and are sometimes forced to remain in the bottom trawl industry. Recognizing and addressing these insights are paramount in effectively constraining bottom trawling.
The authors demonstrate that understanding the nuances within communities rather than viewing them as one entity is paramount for designing equitable policies. They show that fisheries management must transcend maritime activities, and encompass the development of public services that catalyze positive change and foster resilience in fisheries management efforts.
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Tags: Amanda Vincent, bottom trawling, CITES, faculty, FCRR, India, IOF Research Associates, IOF students, Marine protected areas, Project Seahorse, Publications, Research, Sarah Foster, seahorses