With contentious fisheries reforms on hold, should NZ rethink bottom trawling?

Jason Alden/Bloomberg/Getty Images The government’s controversial Fisheries Amendment Bill has reignited debate over New Zealand’s most common – and most controversial – commercial fishing method. Bottom trawling involves commercial fishing boats dragging large, heavy nets across the seafloor. It is the most widespread source of human disturbance to the global seabed. Around New Zealand, marine scientists have documented its ecological impacts for decades. Although the bill covers a broad range…