Executive Summary of Meeting:
The major data collection and analysis for this project is now complete and we have compiled the most extensive data ever assembled on the footprint of mobile bottom contact gear, with detailed data for Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and most of the U.S. These data are generally at the 1 km2 scale. We have completed the systematic literature review on the impacts of bottom trawling on benthos and have a data base that is 6 times more extensive than previous compilations. Manuscripts summarizing these data are now in preparation. A manuscript reviewing the literature on the indirect impact of bottom contact on target species is near submission. The map above displays the study locations for the experimental studies included in the systematic literature review.
Work is ongoing on merging trawl footprint data with benthic habitat data, and synthesis into an evaluation of best practices. Additional trawl footprint data from a number of other countries is either being assembled or promised.