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Transform Bottom Trawling Coalition

Newsletter: January 2022

The new year marked five months since the Transform Bottom Trawling Coalition's launch. It has now grown to include 45 members headquartered in 21 countries across the globe, all working towards a shared mission to #transformtrawling.

This newsletter includes an overview of the coalition’s achievements in 2021 and new updates for 2022.

Coalition launch

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The coalition, launched in September 2021 at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, was established to demand that all coastal nations urgently tackle bottom trawling, with evidence of a globally reduced footprint by 2030.

The coalition launch was marked by the publication of a collective call to action, which was co-developed with organisations from across the fisheries and conservation sectors. It outlines the coalition's motivations, values and goals and presents four core asks. It is available in Spanish, Swahili, Tetun, Portuguese, Bahasa and French.

Bottom Trawling and the Climate Crisis report

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Last November, the coalition published a report showing that some types of seafood may have carbon footprints larger than all other foods. In some cases, fish caught by bottom trawlers may have a larger carbon footprint than lamb and beef. It emphasizes that coastal states globally need to urgently tackle bottom trawling if they are to meet CO2 targets.

The coalition at COP26

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On November 8th, the coalition partnered with Blue Ventures and Our Seas to host a hybrid panel event exploring 'Bottom trawling and a zero-carbon future: what needs to change?'. The panel brought together fishers and civil society groups from Scotland, the EU, Norway and Senegal to share perspectives on how bottom trawling should be adapted to reduce emissions and mitigate social and environmental impacts. The event also saw the premiere of a short documentary about the impacts of a national bottom trawling ban in Belize. The event was covered in the UK's leading fishing industry newspaper.

Global bottom trawling report

CEA report socials (TWITTER) (2)
Coalition members Blue Ventures and Fauna and Flora International collaborated with fisheries experts from CEA Consulting, Seas Around Us, and Duke University on a global bottom trawling report. The report, titled “New perspectives on an old fishing practice: Scale, context and impacts of bottom trawling”, explores the historical context of bottom trawling and assesses its environmental, climate, and socio-economic impacts. It concludes by presenting nine high-level actions to transform bottom trawling for better environmental and socio-economic outcomes under the acronym 'TRANSFORM'.

New resources and platforms

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The coalition website has been updated to include pages that platform coalition media coverage, research outputs, and facilitate access to media assets.

We've also launched coalition Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts, which you can follow to keep up to date with news and events. If there are stories, news items, research or resources that you'd like the coalition to share, please get in touch with Marijn van de Geer.

Gearing up for the year ahead

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In 2022, the coalition will continue to develop research to support evidence-based campaigns, produce impactful comms, engage in key global events, and advocate for transformative change to global- and national-level bottom trawling policy.

If your group, business or organisation is interested in joining the coalition and co-developing practical paths forward to address bottom trawling, please enquire through the coalition website or contact Tom Collinson.
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