Abstract
Bottom trawling is a fishing method used to catch fish, crustaceans, and bivalves living on theseabed, and has a significant effect on seabed habitats. In the North Sea, the proportion of available surface area trawled at least once a year (the trawling footprint) is estimated at 60% of the North Sea floor. Research has shown that bottom trawling can cause both direct and indirect effects on this benthic environment, leading to habitat loss, alterations in benthic community structures and changes in biogeochemical cycles that can affect even global climate dynamics. Despite these extensive scientific studies illustrating the damaging impacts and effects of bottom trawling, it continues to be a popular fishing practice. Few studies have investigated why this is the case. This thesis explores this question by contextualising trawling in the North Sea, investigating the practice through both a historical and a present-day lens, while also examining environmental and social contexts that influence the practice. I then deep dive into the political landscape of the North Sea (with a specific focus on the UK Exclusive Economic Zone), identifying which policies enable or inhibit trawling. I use Phronesis, a set of questions of focus (adapted from Aristotle by Flyvbjerg) to frame my discussion, asking: Where are we going? Is this development desirable? Who wins or loses? And by what mechanisms of power? I then ask one final question: What needs to be done? In asking this final question, I aim to identify potential solutions to some of the environmental, economic, and social issues associated with the continuation of this practice.
| Date of Award | 18 Jun 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Laurence J W Publicover (Supervisor), Lucy McCarthy (Supervisor) & Katharine Hendry (Supervisor) |
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