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Abused and Exploited: The Hidden Horrors of Devastating Fishing Methods

Harshit Mittal

21^st May 2025

Picture the vibrant, living coral community, home to many fish and sea organisms; now imagine it in chaos. Across the oceans worldwide, giant steel nets ravage the seafloor, and explosives flatten the coral reefs, leaving an ocean wasteland filled with wreckage and death. It is the stark reality of unsustainable fishing practices. Year-round, large-scale trawlers harvest in excess of 30 million tonnes of fish every year through dragging vast nets along the seafloor. The destructive consequences in its wake: entire colonies of reefs are flattened, massive clouds of sediment smother the seafloor, and millions of non-target fish become victims to “bycatch,” with the overwhelming majority dying in the process, the rest shortly after. In a specific location, bottom trawling has wiped out almost 200 tonnes of important deep-sea corals in 13 years, representing 99% of the region’s coral bycatch. Such figures certainly raise important questions, yet represent merely a small proportion of the massive damage being done below the surface.

The scars left on the ocean floor by bottom trawling go beyond superficial damage; they are graveyard zones. Heavy trawl nets can crush or uproot fragile corals, sponges, and sea stars, reducing thriving ecosystems into heaps of smashed rock. One solitary beer-bottle bomb can wipe out 50% to 80% of the coral in its effective blast area, and since it takes centuries for coral to recover, each explosion actually causes irreversible damage. UNEP experts warn that explosive fishing “kills all the marine life surrounding them” and causes dead zones through fracturing the coral reefs, which form the building blocks for multifaceted ecosystems. In defiance of being prohibited, blast fishing rages on because the ocean depths lack monitoring. Moreover, poisons cause their own damage: cyanide- or bleach-coated nets, when deployed in reefs, paralyze fish for easier capture but, in the process, destroy countless coral polyps as well as reef organisms. (One forensic analysis estimates that an area about the size of one square metre of coral is killed for every fish caught through the use of cyanide.)

Bottom trawling isn’t just about coral. The nets scoop up everything in their path – fish of all ages and sizes. Juvenile fish with no reproductive opportunity are swept up by the thousands, undermining future populations. In deep-sea fisheries, scientists observed that trawl nets caught young grenadier fish before they could breed, driving those populations to collapse in a single decade. Globally, intensive bottom trawling has removed an estimated 25 million tonnes of deep-ocean fish (400+ meters down) over the past 60 years – sending many stocks plummeting. To fuel their haul, trawlers push into ever deeper waters and newer grounds, endlessly repeating this cycle.

The wild waste is staggering. Trawling is the most wasteful fishing method on Earth – globally responsible for roughly half of all bycatch, yet yielding under 20% of actual fish production. In practical terms, some tropical trawlers discard 14 kilograms of fish and other animals for every 1 kilogram of marketable catch. One fisheries analysis found that over 65 years, industrial trawling has thrown 437 million tonnes of fish back overboard – a loss of resources worth over $560 billion. Along Brazil’s coast, nearly half a million tonnes of marine life were discarded as bycatch from 2000–2018. All these dead creatures – from tiny fry to turtles and seabirds – are callously abandoned or crushed. The few survivors of a blast or cyanide cloud are left to suffer and often die later.

The said infringements are inherently connected with human issues. Over 3 billion people depend on seafood as an essential source of protein, mostly for small island and coastal societies. Overfishing through trawlers and forbidden activities undermines such societies’ right to access a healthy ocean, a secure source of food, and an enduring economy. Currently, overfishing stands as the leading threat towards ocean biodiversity, and it presents clear threats towards the human rights enjoyed by individuals whose subsistence depends on the ocean. Indeed, recent estimates reveal that about one-third of all wild fish stocks are fished beyond sustainable limits (overfished). Industrial-scale fishing fleets often work beyond lawful limits and hide behind their catches; the illegal market for IUU catches now accounts for about 20% of all global catches. Illegal fishing not only causes harm to ecosystems, but it also encourages slavery and crime: many fishermen become trapped or trafficked on such boats in inhuman conditions, while exploitative work methods dictate the norms for most fleets. Illegal fishing is “wedded to human rights abuses,” according to the World Economic Forum, with issues varying from low incomes to modern slavery.

The environmental justice cause is being challenged today. Reef and fish population depletion drains the resources on Earth and puts the health of generations yet to come at risk. Occupying about 70% of the surface area of the Earth, oceans support almost 80% of the biosphere’s total diversity. Each reef lost means the extinction of a rich diversity of life forms. Earthjustice points out that an estimated billion individuals depend on the ocean for its provision, climate, oxygen, medicinal properties, cultural values, and employment. The seafloor disruption activities related to trawling, along with explosive use that harms reefs, violate not only the ecological “rights” of many species, but the very basic human right to an intact, healthy environment and sufficient supplies of food. In addition, widely popular fish stocks are impacted: up to 90% of fish caught with cyanide for the aquarium market die later, creating unnecessary suffering that further ravages the reefs.

This devastation will touch everyone. Seafood is a global market; as stocks collapse, prices rise and communities lose jobs. Coastal tourism and shoreline protection suffer too when coral reefs turn to rubble. In Indonesia, for example, catastrophic overfishing and reef damage over the past 20 years has cost local communities roughly $1.9 billion in lost income. Storms become more dangerous, and fishermen’s nets often come back empty. Plus, the carbon stored in the seabed is released when trawls churn the mud – some scientists estimate bottom trawling emits as much CO₂ per year as entire countries like Germany. In short, every fish we save by ending destructive fishing benefits ocean health, climate stability and human well-being.

There Is More Than Meets the Eye

Experts say that the good news is that there exist viable solutions, if we have the will to implement them. While none of these solutions are cheap, easy, or simple, their implementation is vital for guaranteeing the abundance of fish in the future. Key strategies include:

•            Larger nets and smarter gear: Mandating larger mesh sizes lets young fish escape, and bycatch reduction devices (like turtle excluders) save non-target species. For example, researchers observed that deep-sea grenadier stocks collapsed when trawls picked up immature fish; letting juveniles grow into breeders would help stocks rebound. Shifting gear designs can be contentious and costly for fishers, but it’s a straightforward way to reduce wastage and preserve population structure.

•            Sustainable aquaculture: Aquaculture is now greater than wild catch (2022 was the first year that aquaculture produced more tonnage than capture fisheries). Expanding responsible aquaculture can help reduce pressure on wild stocks. It needs to be done cautiously (to avoid pollution, excessive use of wild fish for feed, disease, or escapees of non-native species), yet both regulation and innovation are improving standards. Encouraging low-impact aquaculture – including mollusc (clam, oyster) farms and integrated multi-trophic systems – is an option for feeding the population without wrecking reefs.

• Marine Protected Areas: The banning of fishing in those critical habitats has proven uniformly successful. Empirical experience shows that fish stocks recover in well-managed reserves, and in some cases, flourish in nearby waters. One appraisal recorded, “one of the strongest and most successful methods for the conservation of fisheries resources and sea life is the marine protected area.” It entails the designation of no-take areas about endangered reefs, seamounts, and nursery grounds, backed up with regulatory control. In spite of the political challenges in the implementation of Marine Protected Areas—because it prohibits access for local fisherfolk to traditional grounds—many groups have seen lasting gains.

•            Bans on blasts and poisons: Nearly every country already outlaws dynamite and cyanide fishing, but weak enforcement lets criminals keep destroying reefs. Stronger patrols, new technologies (acoustic detectors for bomb blasts, as used in Sabah, Malaysia), and harsher penalties are needed to make those bans real. Educating fishers about safer techniques and providing alternatives (for instance, tourism jobs or sustainable aquaculture training) can also help phase out these illegal methods.

People all have the power to make change happen. Think about the seafood you use in your diet: the choices you make at grocery stores and in dining establishments send powerful messages. Support organizations and decision-makers who support vigorous conservation practices. Demand that funding go toward sustainable fishing practices instead of destructive trawling methods. In addition, grassroots efforts—such as beach cleanup campaigns aimed at reducing waste or community-based science projects that designate protected fishing areas—can exercise real power; the power to create change is in OUR hands.

The vast, mysterious ocean will impart the repercussions of our actions today into the future. Yet, the potential for the rejuvenation of an active oceanic community is still feasible, if we adopt the necessary steps. Halting the use of harmful explosives and destructive fishing nets that ravage the seafloor, conserving necessary habitats, and altering our methods in aquaculture and fishing, we can secure the saving of a healthy and thriving oceanic community.

The action moment is now. It is necessary to speak out for the oceans and the people who depend on them. Make your voice heard for stronger legislation and its implementation. In addition, it is important to remember that our choice about our dinner—namely, the fish we put on the table or leave off—has far-flung impacts on distant coral reefs. The ocean’s future is our own.

Click on the following links for more information:

What is bottom trawling, and why is it bad for the environment?