For an exploration vessel like the E/V Nautilus, trawling, A.K.A bottom trawling or trawl fishing, have catastrophic effects on the quality of research conducted. Trawling is fishing by dragging a large net on the sea floor. These large nets can turn an ancient ship wreck into a disastrous pile of driftwood. Not only is trawl fishing an issue for archaeological missions; it is also a serious problem in terms of the environment. Trawl fishing kills miles and miles of coral reef annually (as pictured below).
Although it is common for the government to install a "No Trawl Zone", problems with enforcement prohibit the law's success. Enforcing a "No Trawl Zone" would require a Coast Guard Patrol which is not only expensive but also ineffective. The size of a Coast Guard Patrol big enough to watch over an entire sea or ocean is not practical. For example, if Turkey employed Coast Guard ships to patrol every 50 square miles in the black sea, they would need well over 300 vessels!
Above is a picture of a trawl scar. As we travel on the E/v Nautilus, it is very common to see hundreds of square miles covered with trawl scars on Diana's side-scan sonar. These areas do not have promising futures for finding wrecks because they have been destroyed by the scars.
A possible solution for the issues present with trawling is switching large scale fishing companies to another form of fishing, known as trolling. Although trawling and trolling sound similar, the techniques and outcomes between the two are complete opposites. Troll fishing uses several multi-hooked fishing lines which are cast of the back of a moving vessel. The lines do not harm any archaeological zones nor wild life in the area. When done on a large scale, trolling is just as effective in catching fish as trawling with no negative effects.
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KJ
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