5 Reasons You Should be Worried About Super Trawlers

Any marine animals or sea birds who are unfortunate enough to be in the path of these trawlers will be caught in nets (many of which are big enough to enclose 13 jumbo jets) then sucked onboard through a giant hose to be killed.

2. Because Big Nets Mean Big Trouble…

Super trawlers are meant to only target small forage and bait fish but, because their nets are so massive, that restriction is impossible to regulate. The reality is when you’re using nets big enough to trap the HMS Titanic, you’re going to catch everything and everyone in the water.

3. Because They’re Killing Seals

In 2012 Environment Minister Tony Burke said he could impose “tough” conditions on super trawlers on behalf of “non-target” marine animals … while still apparently allowing 10 seals (per day!) to be killed as “by-catch.” With casualty numbers like that, entire family groups of protected seals could be wiped out in the blink of an eye.

4.  Because They’re Also Death Traps for Dolphins, Sharks and Turtles

Because super trawlers can drag their nets through the water for several hours, if a dolphin, shark or turtle becomes enmeshed it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be able to escape. These animals will then either drown — or be crushed to death by the sheer weight of the fish around them.

5. Because West Africa (and the World) is Facing Ecological Disaster

Legal (and illegal) heavily subsidised super trawlers have decimated West Africa’s fish population, all in order to feed Europe’s insatiable, and unsustainable, desire for seafood. Adding insult to injury, these foreign-owned super trawler companies also then sell fish back to the local fisherman who can no longer fend for themselves and their families. It’s not just West Africa that should be concerned. There is a super trawler circling off the coast of Australia right now.

Super Trawlers = Super Bad

Such extreme overfishing has devastating effects. Sensitive fish and other sea animals are not only suffering the excruciating effects of decompression and suffocation in mind-boggling numbers — fish are also being caught faster than they can possibly reproduce. Super trawler lobbyists sometimes try to claim ‘sustainability’ because they target “bait fish” rather than endangered species like tuna. But those endangered species (as well as hundreds of other marine animals) need those little fish to survive. Without little fish, our great big oceans will die.

Be a Friend to Fish! (And Seals, and Dolphins, and…)

Ultimately, fish and chips just isn’t the cheap and cheerful meal many people think it is. Our planet is at a crisis point, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the very future of our wonderfully diverse and unique marine life depends uponus. But the great news is it’s easy to be ocean-friendly. Simply by choosing to keep marine life off the menu, we can ensure that fish — and seals, whales and lobsters — can swim free and flourish in the sea!

All image source: Animals Australia