The machines used damage the fauna and flora. But the resistance of ecosystems remains poorly known.
The French seabed – and all the life it harbors – is hardly protected. While the state has pledged to tighten regulations in 10% of its marine areas, Ifremer presented data on Thursday on the impact of bottom fishing gear and the resilience of ecosystems. « Scientific knowledge has progressed enormously over the past fifteen years, even if it is obviously more complicated to observe the seabed, at different scales of time and place, than hedgerows or forests. »underlined Clara Ulrich, deputy scientific director of the research institute, during her annual conference devoted to the state of health of fish populations (read below).
Fishing on the seabed, practiced with gear pulled on the ground, represents a significant part of the activity of the profession (28% of days spent at sea). More than a third of the fish caught daily to supply French consumers come from…
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