Exploring the viability of innovative fishing technologies as an alternative to bottom trawling in European marine protected areas: An environmental and socioeconomic analysis

Fisheries in Europe's marine environment use different types of mobile and static fishing gears that come into contact with the seabed, including mobile bottom-contacting gears (MBCGs) towed through the water and across the seabed. This study explores: the innovative gears that could be deployed as an alternative to the exclusion of bottom trawling in EU marine protected areas (MPAs); the efficacy and feasibility of implementing such innovations; and the environmental and socioeconomic effects on maintaining and restoring biodiversity. The study shows that mitigating the impact on the seabed with innovations will likely not suffice to reach the conservation objectives. Given the lack of voluntary uptake, the most promising innovations would have to be made mandatory. It recommends that MBCGs be excluded from the designated MPAs deemed vulnerable to bottom fishing. So far, innovations for lighter-impacting gears or solutions not affecting catch rates are lacking. This induces a net increase in impact when fishers increase effort to compensate for loss in catch efficiency. Excluding MBCGs likely comes with only a limited displacement effect, which might be larger if future MPA designation were to better match sensitive features needing protection. For now, discontinuing the use of other fishing techniques such as passive gears is not required, as they do not impact MPAs where vulnerable seabeds are found. However, some MPAs will be sensitive to passive gears, and these techniques should be limited there if innovations do not reduce the bycatch of vulnerable species to levels deemed acceptable under the EU common fisheries policy and Marine Strategy Framework Directive.