Research project Effects of bottom trawling in the Baltic Sea
- seafloor integrity, water quality and protected areas
The effect of bottom trawling on Baltic Sea seabeds is poorly understood. Evidence from other seas shows that benthic fauna and sediments may be severely disturbed by this fishing method and that suspended sediment can cause poor water quality in trawled and neighbouring areas, including marine protected areas (MPAs).
This project has: a) quantified how seafloor integrity is altered by bottom trawling; b) quantified the amount of sediment, nutrients and contaminants suspended by bottom trawling; c) quantified and model the distance suspended sediment is transported.
This information is essential in the effective planning of MPAs, ecosystem-based sustainable fisheries management and assessment of seafloor integrity and ecological status of benthic ecosystems in the Baltic Sea.
Read more about our related project.
Project members
Project managers
Clare Bradshaw
Professor
Members
Francisco Jardim de Almada Nascimento
Associate Professor
Martin Jakobsson
Professor of Marine geology and geophysics
