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Peer-reviewedCC BYConservation Letters

Hidden Mortality: Bottom Trawling Challenges the Legal Protection of Vulnerable Marine Species

  • Ateret Shabtay1
  • Dana Kruger2
  • Erez Yeruham3
  • Alon Rothschild1
  1. 1The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel Tel Aviv‐Yafo Israel
  2. 2Department of Animal Sciences Hula Research Center Tel Hai Academic College Upper Galilee Israel
  3. 3Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research The National Institute of Oceanography Haifa Israel
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Abstract

Legal protection of species is a central conservation instrument, yet its effectiveness depends on limiting incidental harm. Bottom trawl fisheries are inherently nonselective and frequently capture nontarget species. This creates a legal–management inconsistency: Bottom trawling remains permitted, whereas protected‐species statutes prohibit harm or disturbance. Reconciling these policies requires that capture of protected species be rare and strictly incidental. Using standardized bottom trawl surveys in the Israeli Mediterranean, where bottom trawl fishing is strictly regulated spatially and seasonally, we quantified hourly capture rates of legally protected taxa. A mean of ∼53 protected individuals were captured per trawling hour, peaking at 80 m depth (147.7 individuals h−1), dominated by Pennatula rubra. Elasmobranchs were also captured (∼2.6 individuals h−1), including vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered species. These results suggest that even under stringent regulation, species‐focused protection may be insufficient where bottom trawling persists. Precautionary interaction‐reducing measures, including stronger spatial restrictions, are therefore required.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{shabtay2026hidden,
  title = {{Hidden Mortality: Bottom Trawling Challenges the Legal Protection of Vulnerable Marine Species}},
  author = {Ateret Shabtay and Dana Kruger and Erez Yeruham and Alon Rothschild},
  journal = {Conservation Letters},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1111/con4.70087},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/con4.70087},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Hidden Mortality: Bottom Trawling Challenges the Legal Protection of Vulnerable Marine Species
AU  - Ateret Shabtay
AU  - Dana Kruger
AU  - Erez Yeruham
AU  - Alon Rothschild
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/01
JO  - Conservation Letters
DO  - 10.1111/con4.70087
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/con4.70087
AB  - Legal protection of species is a central conservation instrument, yet its effectiveness depends on limiting incidental harm. Bottom trawl fisheries are inherently nonselective and frequently capture nontarget species. This creates a legal–management inconsistency: Bottom trawling remains permitted, whereas protected‐species statutes prohibit harm or disturbance. Reconciling these policies requires that capture of protected species be rare and strictly incidental. Using standardized bottom trawl surveys in the Israeli Mediterranean, where bottom trawl fishing is strictly regulated spatially and seasonally, we quantified hourly capture rates of legally protected taxa. A mean of ∼53 protected individuals were captured per trawling hour, peaking at 80 m depth (147.7 individuals h−1), dominated by Pennatula rubra. Elasmobranchs were also captured (∼2.6 individuals h−1), including vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered species. These results suggest that even under stringent regulation, species‐focused protection may be insufficient where bottom trawling persists. Precautionary interaction‐reducing measures, including stronger spatial restrictions, are therefore required.
SN  - 1755-263X
ER  -