Yet right now, across oceans worldwide, industrial fishing vessels continue to practice bottom trawling. It’s an industrial method that is the oceanic equivalent of clear-cutting an ancient forest just to catch a few birds.

What is bottom trawling?

In plain English, bottom trawling involves dropping massive, heavily weighted nets to the ocean floor and dragging them across miles of seabed to catch bottom-dwelling fish and shellfish.

These nets crush everything in their path. Ancient coral structures, sponge gardens, kelp holdfasts, and delicate reef systems—habitats that take decades or centuries to grow—are flattened in a single sweep. 

The hidden cost beneath the surface

For everyone who relies on or enjoys a healthy ocean, bottom trawling poses a major threat:

• Habitat destruction: Seabeds aren't just empty sand; they are vibrant nurseries, feeding grounds, and shelters for marine life. Destroying the seabed breaks the entire marine food chain.

• Devastating bycatch: Because trawling nets catch everything in their path indiscriminately, huge quantities of non-target marine life—including juvenile fish, dolphins, turtles, and non-commercial species—are killed and discarded back into the sea.

• Carbon release: Dragging heavy gear across marine sediment disturbs ocean carbon sinks, releasing locked-up carbon back into the water column and atmosphere.

Protecting our coastal playgrounds and fisheries

Healthy seas depend on rich, intact habitats where fish populations can spawn, feed, and grow. When bottom trawling destroys these sanctuaries, local fishing communities suffer, coastal biodiversity collapses, and our marine playground loses its natural resilience.

This is why frontline charities like Blue Marine Foundation fight endlessly to ban bottom trawling inside designated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). It's not about stopping sustainable fishing; it's about protecting vital marine reserves so ocean ecosystems and fish stocks can naturally recover and thrive.

Standing together for wild oceans

At North Reef, we firmly believe bottom trawling belongs in the history books, not our seas. By committing 5% of every sale to support frontline marine conservation, we’re doing our bit to back the scientists, researchers, and campaigners demanding real enforcement on the water.

Every ocean lover has a voice. By staying informed, supporting sustainable practices, and backing organizations fighting for marine protection, we can keep our oceans wild and healthy for generations to come.