An analysis of the datasets has revealed an underrepresentation of fisheries from Latin America which is one of the most important areas of the world in terms of the amount of trawl fishing that occurs. These trawl fisheries contribute to the alleviation of poverty through the provision of food and livelihoods for many people. Therefore, it was considered important to attempt to address this data gap and to engage with stakeholders and science users in the Latin American region to raise awareness about potential best practice for trawling. Potential research institutions, universities, organizations and individual experts involved in the data collection and research work dealing with the assessment and/or management of ecosystem impacts of bottom trawl fishing in Latin America were invited to the workshop.
The workshop (i) summarized the progress done in the five phases of the project, (ii) identified what data are available on the spatial distribution of trawl fishing activities, where it is found, who are involved in generating these data as well as gaps in knowledge in Latin America region; (iii) evaluated the availability and applicability of data on habitats, bycatch and ecosystem impacts of bottom trawl fishing in the Latin America region; (iv) begin to assemble the data on trawl intensity in representative Latin American ecosystems; and (v) developed an arrangement for sharing expertise and data, and continuing the collaboration to develop best practices for trawling to enhance sustainability of food security and livelihoods and marine ecosystems in Latin American trawl fisheries.
The workshop served as an excellent first step in building collaboration with a network of global trawl fishing scientists. The collaborations identified should lead to a significant advance in our understanding of how to best manage Latin American trawl fisheries.