U.S. West Coast Waters Closed to Bottom Trawling

SEATTLE, Washington, March 10, 2006 (ENS) - The destructive fishing practice of bottom trawling has been banned in federal waters off the U.S. west coast from Canada to Mexico.

On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) approved the plan developed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council to establish and protect more than 150,000 square miles of marine waters off the West Coast as Essential Fish Habitat. The plan, which covers waters to a depth of 3,500 meters, is aimed at replenishing depleted fish populations.

Bottom trawling is the fishing practice of dragging large nets weighted with chains or other heavy gear across the seafloor to catch groundfish species such as rockfish, cod, and sole. Bottom trawls have been used throughout the North Pacific region, and are still permitted in the central and western Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea.

A section of bottom trawl roller gear used to drag along the sea floor, scooping up fish. Bottom trawl gear alters habitat features such as coral gardens, sponges, rocky ledges and pinnacles and reduces fish populations and biodiversity. (Photo courtesy AMCC)

NOAA said that its own economic analysis of the closures, based on historic data on landings, shows that less than 10 percent of revenue from commercial fishing comes from areas that will be closed. That loss is expected to be made up as fishermen move their operations to areas that remain open, NOAA said.

Although the NOAA Fisheries Service does not have regulatory authority over non-fishing activities that may damage habitat, the plan includes designating various habitats such as kelp, sea grass and estuaries as "habitat areas of particular concern."

This designation will alert other agencies that are active in these areas that NOAA Fisheries Service may have conservation recommendations to ensure projects do not harm bottom-dwelling fish.

The NOAA Fisheries Service said it would not include in its areas of particular concern any of 13 decommissioned oil rigs off the California coast, included in the council's original proposal. These rigs can attract plants and animals and serve as productive habitat areas on their own.

"We're not opposed to considering leaving some or all these platforms in place to serve as fish habitat," said Rod McInnis, head of the NOAA Fisheries Service's Southwest Region in Long Beach, Calif. "But we think it's premature to designate them as special habitat areas until we have a better understanding of how they can best contribute to habitat protection and growth."

Bottom trawler working off the coast of Washington state (Photo courtesy MCBI)

In June 2005, the PFMC voted unanimously to protect more than 250,000 square miles of seafloor from bottom trawling.

"NOAA Fisheries overruled the intent and will of the Council and reduced those protections to about 150,000 square miles, Oceana said in a statement.

“While we are encouraged by the tremendous precautionary protections recommended by the Council, we are disappointed NOAA did not take this opportunity to protect the deeper sea off the California Coast,” said Oceana Vice President Jim Ayers.

NOAA decided that the PFMC did not have the authority to close areas deeper than 3,500 meters because the Council had defined Essential Fish Habitat as those areas shallower than that depth.

The Council’s action was the culmination of three years of collaborative work coordinated and led by Oceana, and including the environmental organizations Natural Resources Defense Council, The Ocean Conservancy, and Environment California; recreational fishing groups United Anglers and Coastside Fishing Club, and the commercial fishing group Pacific Marine Conservation Council.

West Coast groundfish fisheries are in "serious trouble," says the Pacific Marine Conservation Council. The federal groundfish disaster declared in January 2000 continues, and many fishing families are scrambling to keep their fishing operations afloat.

Nine of the 83 managed West Coast groundfish species are listed "overfished" by the National Marine Fisheries Service. In response, the commercial fishing group supports buybacks to remove vessels from the fishing fleet.

A 2002 report, Effects of Trawling and Dredging on Seafloor Habitat, by the National Research Council states that bottom trawling and dredging reduce habitat complexity, repeated trawling and dredging change seafloor communities, and bottom trawling reduces the productivity of seafloor habitats.

Most krill are about 1 to 2 centimeters long. The total global production amounts to 150,000 metric tons annually. Most krill is used for aquaculture and aquarium feeds, as bait in sport fishing, or in the pharmaceutical industry. (Photo courtesy )

West Coast states have all already enacted legislation that prohibits commercial krill fishing in state waters, out three miles from shore.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council expanded those nearshore protections throughout the 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone along the U.S. West Coast.

“This is a watershed event for ocean management and conservation,” said Ayers. “Allowing commercial fishing for krill would not only be stealing from the marine food web, but also robbing our children of the ocean we’ve all come to know and love. We applaud the Council for their leadership and vision in preventing such a catastrophe.”