The value of bottom trawling in Europe

The value of bottom trawling in Europe | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The value of bottom trawling in Europe Katherine D Millage, Juan Mayorga, Sara Orofino, Trisha B. Atwood, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6298588/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Commercial bottom trawl and dredge fisheries are active across much of Europe, and their geographic footprint is extensive. More than half of seabed area is trawled every year in some parts of Europe. But these fisheries remain contentious; significant ecological and economic damages have been well documented. Yet, they remain a source of food and provide jobs and economic revenue. Considering recent pushes to ban or limit bottom trawling in European countries, we explore how the costs associated with this practice compare to the benefits it provides. We find that society is losing out to the private sector, largely because of the significant climate impacts associated with the churning of the seafloor sediment by bottom trawling. Further, we show that bottom trawling occurs in a significant portion of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across Europe. We argue that phasing out bottom trawling in MPAs could yield meaningful net benefits. Environmental Policy Environmental Economics Marine conservation fisheries management bottom trawling CO2 emissions societal value Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files MPnetbenefitsSMpreprint.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6298588","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":433428525,"identity":"e7e9c803-25c9-4001-848c-767c84af9f8a","order_by":0,"name":"Katherine D Millage","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAy0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACCQbGxgMPgAx+UrQ0HEgAMiQbiNfCwADWYnCAWC2S0w4DbamplTO+3X75A0PFPTuCtklLJwK1HDtubHbnTJkEw5niZIJa5MBa2I4lbruRk8bA2JaQTNBhEC3/jtVvnpGT/IEoLWCHJbbVJBhIpB+QAGqxI6hFcjZIS98Bwxk3ctgkEs4kJBDUInE7/eGDD9/q5PlnpD/+8KEiwZ6gFig4DMQ8BgxAKxIbiNRSB8TsD0Asom0ZBaNgFIyCkQMA00lFix1v3FMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Katherine","middleName":"D","lastName":"Millage","suffix":""},{"id":433428526,"identity":"1cc2e060-8a57-42c4-a6f2-31f9ddd4a6dd","order_by":1,"name":"Juan Mayorga","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Juan","middleName":"","lastName":"Mayorga","suffix":""},{"id":433428527,"identity":"14b2194e-6792-4738-b7e3-348386363600","order_by":2,"name":"Sara Orofino","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Environmental Markets Lab, University of California, Santa Barbara","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sara","middleName":"","lastName":"Orofino","suffix":""},{"id":433428528,"identity":"cb3423cc-d3fb-4392-bfe6-7fe2db6ff56a","order_by":3,"name":"Trisha B. 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