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Bottom trawling in marine protected areas of the Baltic Sea: IOW launches expedition to study the impacts

Bottom trawl fishing - here the corresponding longline during operation - can lead to severe physical damage to the seabed.
Bottom trawl fishing - here the corresponding longline during operation - can lead to severe physical damage to the seabed | Photo: Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries

On June 2, 2021, a two-week ship expedition led by the IOW will set out to marine protected areas in the Fehmarnbelt and the Oderbank. The aim of the research cruise is to carry out a comprehensive survey of the seabed’s condition, which, in addition to geophysical and geochemical properties, for the first time also includes the entire near-bottom food web – ranging from bacteria to fishes. The cruise is part of the pilot missions of the German Marine Research Alliance to investigate the impact of bottom trawling on marine protected areas in the North and the Baltic Sea.

Read the full press release; for a larger view of the photo, click on it:

application/pdf 20210601_press_Bottom_Trawling_in_ Baltic_Sea_MPAs_en.pdf (128.6 KiB)

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