Bottom trawling – the practice of dragging weighted nets, metal plates and chains along the seabed to catch fish – is associated with a host of environmental impacts. It is the only fishing method that disturbs seabed ecosystems, catches large numbers of non-target animals, and is associated with driving fish population declines. These unique characteristics, coupled with the scale at which bottom trawling is practised, set it apart from other fishing methods in terms of its environmental footprint.