A survey of the world’s reefs and submerged mountains has revealed widespread damage from deep-sea trawling Squat lobsters on a cold-water coral reef off the coast of Ireland. Deep-sea trawling poses a particular threat in temperate regions. Photograph: University of Plymouth

By Ian Sample, San Diego
www.guardian.co.uk, Thursday 18 February 2010 22.00 GMT Deep-sea trawling is devastating corals and pristine marine habitats that have gone untouched since the last ice age, a leading marine biologist has warned. A survey of the world’s reefs and seamounts – giant submerged mountains that rise more than a kilometre above the seabed – has revealed widespread damage to the ecosystems, many of which are home to species unknown to science, said Jason Hall-Spencer at Plymouth University in the UK. Hall-Spencer, a researcher involved with the Census of Marine Life, a worldwide project to catalogue life in the oceans, called for the establishment of an international network of marine reserves where deep-sea trawling was banned. Deep-sea trawlers use giant, heavy-duty nets that are dragged over the seafloor at depths of more than a kilometre. The nets are fitted with rubber rollers called “rock hoppers”, which destroy the corals that provide habitats for fish and other marine organisms. The technique was developed for use in shallow waters with smooth sea floors, but as fish stocks dwindled and technology improved, fishing fleets began using the nets in much deeper waters. Hall-Spencer said marine biologists have surveyed fewer than 1% of an estimated 50,000 seamounts in the world’s oceans. “Our research visits have revealed pristine coral reefs and many species that are brand new to science,” Hall-Spencer said. “Over the past five years, these surveys have also worryingly revealed that all over the world, deep-sea habitats are suffering severe impacts from bottom trawling. “It doesn’t matter what ocean you go to, these habitats are being trashed by international fishing fleets. What is urgently needed is a network of protected areas where any type of fishing gear that involves dragging equipment across the sea bed is banned.” …

Deep-sea trawling is destroying coral reefs and pristine marine habitats