On March 27, the Swedish Parliament will vote for a general ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas within the trawl limit. It sounds strange, doesn’t it – that it’s not already banned? What we’re talking about is bottom trawling inside the boundary where trawling should not be allowed.
The fact that trawling still takes place in these areas is because the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) has made several exceptions over the years. It is therefore strange that the new proposal from the government, which aims to regulate fishing in order to strengthen the protection in marine protected areas, includes the possibility of derogations. Derogations could be granted “if there is an urgent need for bottom trawling and it does not undermine the purpose of the area protection”.
But, when can bottom trawling ever be considered urgent?
What is bottom trawling?
Bottom trawling is an effective but harmful fishing method that involves dragging large cone-shaped nets across the seabed to catch bottom-dwelling species. Floats are attached to the top of the trawl opening and a chain is often dragged along the bottom, tearing up everything that grows and lives there. Bottom trawling has a significant negative impact on marine ecosystems, affecting several ecosystem services such as biodiversity, food webs, food production and recreation.
There are clear scientific evidence that bottom trawling is harmful. Studies indicate that it affects habitats, climate and the survival of marine species. For example, bottom trawling destroys the seabed and stirs up sediments that can remain in the water column for days and travel for kilometers, making it difficult for fish and other animals to find food. Bottom trawling also appears to contribute to increased carbon dioxide emissions and the release of nutrients and carbon from the seabed.
“Bottom trawling in marine protected areas within the trawl limit is currently mainly carried out in fishing for shrimp and Norway lobster in Kosterfjorden and Gullmarsfjorden, and in fishing for vendace in the outer archipelago of Kalix and Bergöfjärden in the Gulf of Bothnia.”
Source: Ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas (Prop. 2024/25:81), p. 17.
Translation from Swedish by BalticWaters.
Not all is lost yet
Since the collapse of the Baltic cod stocks a few years ago, bottom trawling has been limited in the Baltic Sea. It is primarily vendace in the Gulf of Bothnia and flatfish in the southern Baltic Sea that are fished with bottom trawls. On the west coast, bottom trawling occurs to a greater extent in fisheries for Norway lobster and shrimp.
The northern shrimp stock in Skagerrak and Kattegat is considered to be near threatened, according to the SLU Species Information Centre. Vendace in the Gulf of Bothnia and Norway lobster in Skagerrak and Kattegat seem to be doing better. But regardless of how the stocks are doing, fishing with bottom trawls and other harmful gear that threatens conservation values should be severely restricted before it is too late.
Bottom trawling causes by-catch
By-catch is unwanted catch of a different species or size from that which a fishery intends to catch. Bottom trawling can lead to high levels of by-catch, such as in flatfish fisheries where cod by-catch is common. There are bottom trawls designed to reduce by-catch – selective trawls. These trawls can significantly reduce by-catch, but at the same time they have several problems, for example, unwanted catch may have difficulty swimming out of the trawl if the catch is large. At the same time, most demersal species can be caught with other, less harmful fishing gears than bottom trawls.
We cannot afford further derogations to allow fishing by a few businesses to continue. Cod is already depleted and other formerly commercially important species, such as whiting and haddock, are classified as vulnerable. But there is a silver lining to this tragedy. It is possible to reverse the trend – in Öresund, where trawling has been banned since 1932, there is a small but stable stock of haddock.* This shows that the right regulations can work. For a long time, there was also a healthy cod stock with generally larger cod than in other parts of the Baltic Sea, which meant that there was a healthy recreational fishery in the area.
*Red List assessment from 2020. According to the SLU Species Information Centre’s statement from 2025, haddock is considered rare in the northern parts of Öresund.
Control of fisheries – an unresolved dilemma
Another key issue, if the government’s proposal passes, is the enforcement of the ban. At present, Sweden faces major challenges when it comes to fisheries control, and does not comply with current EU legislation. Effective control is a prerequisite for long-term sustainable fishing – the Government and Parliament need to act. Sufficient funding should be allocated to SwAM and the Coast Guard so that Sweden can comply with the law and become a role model in fisheries management. However, so far such action is lacking.
What is fisheries control?
Fisheries control is about monitoring and ensuring that fisheries are conducted in a sustainable and legal manner. It involves, for example, inspections at sea and in ports, tracking of catches and sanctions for breaches of the rules. SwAM has the overall responsibility for Swedish fisheries control and the Coast Guard is responsible for the control at sea.
Read more about Swedish fisheries control on the SwAM website (in Swedish).
A broader approach is preferable
Overfishing has been allowed to continue for a long time – we are therefore now in a situation where there is no longer room for compromises. The consequences of our overexploitation of the sea mean huge losses for everyone – including large-scale fishermen whose catches are declining and will eventually cease. The efficiency of the trawl fishery also leads to lower added value, as the largest fish are always caught first, and then the smaller individuals are targeted, as was evident in the previous cod trawl fishery.
The government’s proposal to ban certain bottom trawling is late in coming, but it is positive that the proposal is now on the table of the members of parliament. However, a broader ban covering all fishing in protected areas would be preferable, as would an extended and strict trawling ban throughout the territorial sea out to 12 nautical miles from the Swedish coast. There are also reasons for using EU legislation to explore the possibilities of restricting fishing in certain areas beyond the outer limits of the territorial sea.
Bottom trawling causes great damage to marine ecosystems. It is time for it to disappear from our protected areas, which should be protected in the true sense of the word.
The brief in short
Bottom trawling is proposed to be banned in marine protected areas within the Swedish trawl limit, which the Parliament will vote on March 27. Bottom trawling is harmful to the marine ecosystem, and in the long term it also has negative consequences for the fishing industry. The proposed ban needs to be stricter and not allow continued derogations for trawling. Protected areas should be protected in the true sense of the word.
Illustration of bottom trawling: Sofie Handberg.
