Commercial fishing is the process of taking fish, seafood, or resources from oceans or other water objects for marketing. Hence, diverse commercial fishing techniques have been developed and created throughout the industry’s history. All of the techniques differently affect various spheres related to the fishing process, such as the environment, the crew’s health, the volume of the catch, and the levels of effort needed. Therefore, each company decides the most appropriate commercial fishing techniques for itself based on the estimation of the pros and cons and the comparison of the results.
One of the most common and broad-based techniques is pelagic trawling which is a method of catching fish with the help of a net. It includes dragging a net through where most fish feed, usually in the middle of the water column (Commercial fishing methods, n.d.). It targets fish only on the mid-and surface water levels. This method is preferable as it does not cause much damage to the environment, does not destroy ocean flora or fauna, and is not associated with high risks of sea deterioration. However, it allows catching large amounts of fish which may negatively affect certain fish species populations. This remark cannot be considered damaging regarding the commercial fishing industry as any technique and the industry itself impact the decline of ocean creatures.
Additionally, pelagic trawling is often looked at as ineffective due to some vital criteria. According to Dagtekin et al. (2021), such factors as professional experience in pelagic trawling, subsidy rate in this technique, total crew, as well as the quality of the utilized vessels explain the method’s technical inefficiency. These negative impacts can be reduced by heightening governmental funding, optimizing technical gears, and improving the crew experience in this method of catching fish.
On the opposite, bottom trawling is another fishing technique but is mostly used for the trawl in deep waters. It involves dragging a net along the seabed for the purpose of catching fish species that generally feed and live there (Commercial fishing methods, n.d.). Usually, the ocean creatures caught by this method include haddock, plaice, cod, or sole. In comparison with the previous method, bottom trawling causes much more damage to the environment and raises diverse difficulties for sea inhabitants. For example, based on the conducted research, Hiddink et al. (2017) conclude that the effect of trawling frequency results in the bigger falls in biomass due to the increase in swept area ratio. In conclusion, bottom trawling is associated with high amounts of catch and environmental risks simultaneously. However, the challenges could be reduced or decreased through optimization of nets and their damaging aspects, as well as a barrier in the catch volumes that will help maintain the variety of sea creatures.
Those methods are quite popular in the fishing industry; however, otter trawling is the most ubiquitous one. It can be described as simply dragging the net along the seabed in order to gain collect fish by the fast movement and prevent them from escaping by closing the net (Commercial fishing methods, n.d.). This technique allows the crew to gain huge catches, therefore, get higher profits from their selling. However, otter trawling negatively affects the ocean environment, especially its seabed. Supporting the argument, Rijnsdorp et al. (2020) state that their research showed high levels of impact otter trawling on such components of the sea fauna as mud, sand, and gravel. This helps to conclude that although this fishing technique is one of the most effective, it affects and destroys the seabed; hence, several modifications are required. Currently, no relevant improvements can be suggested; however, due to their importance, the implementation of otter trawling cannot be receded.
Dredging is a common subset of bottom trawling techniques as well. It is generally used for capturing such sea creatures as oysters, mussels, and scallops from the seabed (Commercial fishing methods, n.d.). As the gears utilized are in the form of metal cages, it can be predicted that the habitat in the form of sand or mud will be damaged similarly to the previous method. It is considered the most destructive method, causing major irreversible damage to diverse beds in the sea (Commercial fishing methods, n.d.). Therefore, a single instance of intervention in certain areas will cause recoverable damage, while consecutive or numerous dredges generally lead to the total decay of the exploited bed. Additionally, Wenger et al. (2017) conclude that dredging is a huge stress factor for fish and marina, which significantly lowers its quality and utility. Regardless of all challenges faced during the implementation of this method, it is the most popular technique for catching mussels and resembling types of fish. This is the most relevant technique for now; therefore, change or developments are unlikely to happen.
Lobster and crab pots are often utilized to catch the mentioned species. This can be considered as one of the most merciful techniques of fishing as it allows one to gain only the required species without considerable damage. It represents metal cages that attract crabs and lobsters that enter the metal prison and later cannot escape it; however, fish usually manage to survive, which is a good result (Commercial fishing methods, n.d.). No changes are needed here as the technique itself is the most convenient, low-effort, and acceptable method.
References
Commercial fishing methods. (n. d.). British Sea Fishing.co.uk. Web.
Dagtekin, M., Uysal, O., Candemir, S., & Genc, Y. (2021). Productive efficiency of the pelagic trawl fisheries in the Southern Black Sea.Regional Studies in Marine Science, 45. Web.
Hiddink, J. G., Jennings, S., Sciberras, M., Szostek, C. L., Hughes, K. M., Ellis, N., Rijnsdorp, A. D., McConnaughey, R. A., Mazor, T., Hilborn, R., Collie, J. S., Pitcher, C. R., Amoroso, R. O., Parma, A. M., Suuronen, P., & Kaiser, M. J. (2017). Global analysis of depletion and recovery of seabed biota after bottom trawling disturbance.PNAS, 114(31), 8301-8306. Web.
Rijnsdorp, A. D., Hiddink, J. G., Denderen, P. D., Hintzen, N. T., Eigaard, O. R., Valanko, S., Bastardie, F., Bolam, S. G., Boulcott, P., Egekvist J., Garcia, C., Hoey, G., Jonsson, P., Laffargue, P., Nielsen, J. R., Piet, G. J., Skold, M., & Kooten, T. (2020). Different bottom trawl fisheries have a differential impact on the status of the North Sea seafloor habitats.ICES Journal of Marine Science, 77(5), 1772-1786. Web.
Wenger, A. S., Harvey, E., Wilson, S., Rawson, C., Newman, S. J., Clarke, D., Saunders, B. J., Browne, N., Travers, M. J., Mcilwain, J. L., Erftemeijer, P. L. A., Hobbs, J. A., Mclean, D., Depczynski, M., & Evans, R. (2017). A critical analysis of the direct effects of dredging on fish.Fish and Fisheries, 18(5), 967-985. Web.