Call Your MP to Demand Transparency on Bottom Trawling

Ten killer whales were caught in bottom-trawl nets — and nine of them died. We can’t stop tragedies like this without the data on bottom trawling. Ask your MP to publicly call on the Minister of Fisheries to release all vessel-tracking and bycatch data for bottom trawling in Canada’s oceans.

Bottom trawling is like clear-cutting the seafloor...

Even without the full data, the picture is grim. We know that:

Endangered species are dying: This isn't a clean fishery. In 2023 alone, 10 killer whales were caught in trawl nets and nine of them died. Critically endangered hawksbill sea turtles are also caught as bycatch, often dying from a condition similar to decompression sickness after being thrown back.
The scale is immense: An investigation by Pacific Wild off BC’s coast found that just nine factory trawlers had a fishing footprint the size of Ireland.
Our "protected" areas aren't safe: Canada established standards in 2019 to ban bottom trawling in new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). However, a major loophole exists: MPAs created before 2019 are not automatically protected by these standards. Many of these MPAs still allow this destructive practice within their boundaries.

The Cover-Up: What We Don't Know is "Fishy"...

The government's refusal to release public data hides the full extent of the damage. Because the data is no longer public, we don't know:

The true number of whales, dolphins, sharks, and turtles being killed as bycatch every year.
Which specific ecosystems, including sensitive coral and sponge reefs, are being destroyed right now.
Whether trawlers are illegally fishing inside protected areas where the practice is banned.

Without public data, there is no public accountability. This prevents scientists, conservation groups and Canadians from understanding the true cost of bottom trawling.

Ask your MP to call on the Minister of Fisheries to immediately release all current and historical vessel-tracking and bycatch data for the bottom-trawling in Canada’s oceans!

Photos: Pacific Wild and Ian McAllister

Call Your MP

Demand transparency on bottom trawling!

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