Bottom trawling

A bottom trawl is constructed to catch species living on or near the bottom of the sea, also called demersal species. Bottom trawling is the method most commonly used to catch cod in the Baltic Sea.

A trawl consists of a net shaped like a cone, which is then towed on the bottom by one or two boats. At then end of the trawl is a so called codend and it is here the catch is retained.

Bottom trawls are pulled down by heavy weights, which are dragged along the bottom.

This is often detrimental to the seabed as sediments are stirred up and organisms disturbed.

Read more about bottom trawling on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottom_trawling