Are Tropical Bottom Trawl Fisheries Sustainable?
Implications and Alternatives – Tropical bottom trawl fisheries are an important economic activity in many countries in the world. However, this fishing method has been strongly criticized due to technical and biological interactions with other fisheries, especially small-scale, as well as concern for the environmental impacts associated with gear effects on bottom habitats and the high degree of removals of non-commercial marine organisms. Bottom trawling in tropical ecosystems represents a challenge to fishery agencies, fisheries managers, and technology specialists. A permanent ban on bottom trawling was initiated in Venezuela this year, and a presentation entitled ‘The Venezuelan Experience’ will be part of this session. Contributions on the following topics are proposed. These are not exclusive of other subjects: • Biological and management problems associated with bottom trawling in tropical ecosystems. • Technical interactions, gear (bycatch reductions) and management alternativ
