Concerns over the potential ecological effects of fishing have increased with the expansion of fisheries throughout the marine waters of the United States. Effects of Trawling and Dredging on Seafloor Habitat describes how assessment of fishing impacts depends on gear type, number and location of bottom tows, and the physical and biological characteristics of seafloor habitats. Many experimental studies have documented acute, gear-specific effects of trawling and dredging on various types of habitat. These studies indicate that low mobility, long-lived species are more vulnerable to towed fishing gear than short-lived species in areas where the seabed is often disturbed by natural phenomena. Trawling and dredging may also change the composition and productivity of fish communities dependent on seafloor habitats for food and refuge. The scale of these impacts depends on the level of fishing effort. This volume presents color maps of fishing effort for all regions with significant bottom trawl or dredge fisheries-the first time that such data has been assembled and analyzed for the entire nation.

This publication examines recent experimental studies of the impact of towed fishing gears, such as trawls and scallop dredges, on benthic habitats and communities (organisms that live at or near the bottom of the sea). The review gives a critical evaluation of the methodological limitations of impact studies, given the complexity and natural variability of benthic communities.

This report describes the observations of the reporting officer aboard the FV Will Watch during a trip in June–July 2009 (Trip 36). The 49-day trip primarily involved bottom trawling for orange roughy around Walters Shoal in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) in the southwestern Indian Ocean. This report documents relevant information on operational issues related to aimed trawling, specific issues in this fishery, the potential for further collaboration with the deep-sea fishing industry in this region, as well as an overview of the fishery that is relevant to current and future policy.