The discovery of deep sea corals, hot smokers, and other fantastic underwater features is transforming society s understanding of the ocean floor. No longer do we consider the seafloor devoid of life and structure. Scientists are determining that many fish species rely on the ocean floor and are recommending to fishery managers that they minimize the impacts of trawling.
In Canada we had some of the richest fishing grounds in the world. Today most are closed due to overfishing and destructive trawling, and many stocks show no sign of recovery more than a decade later. The time to protect high seas habitat from destructive trawling is now.
For 15 years we have been fighting to protect ocean habitat from destructive fishing practices. In 2000 we organized the First International Symposium on Deep Sea Corals. Today, we promote conservation and sustainable fishing practices through research and education.
On our website you will find documents describing the impacts of trawling (or dragging as we call it in Atlantic Canada) including a bibliography of scientific documents. The Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Deep Sea Corals are available from the Centre.
