An ongoing two-year independent study on trawling and its effect on species that live on sea floors (benthic sea life) where trawling occurs has found that the practice may not be as devastating as it is portrayed by some Non-Goverment Oragnizations. The major data collection and analysis for the project has been completed, including assessments of mobile bottom contact gear in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and most of the US, making it six times more extensive than and previous compilations.
“What we want to do with this project is actually contract these perceptions with data,” said Ricardo Amoroso of the University of Washington. “It’s the way that local management agencies are collecting the data, but this is problematic in terms of trying to assess the footprint,” he said.
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