The study involved the University of Utah, the Goddard Institute of Space Studies of NASA, the University of California in Santa Barbara, James Cook of the University of Columbia and the University of National Geographic and Pristine Seas. Trawling data between 1996 and 2020 are based on the amount of carbon dioxide it generates.

According to experts, trawling releases 370 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, 60% of which will reach the atmosphere in nine years, according to Servimedia. The study, published in the journal ‘Frontiers in Marine Science’, has revealed that the places most affected by trawling are: eastern China, the Baltic, the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, according to the Infobae portal. Experts have stressed that the amount of carbon dioxide released by trawling in the ocean is higher than the “annual carbon emissions of most countries” and that it “doubles” the fuel emissions of the fishing industry around the world.

They have also pointed out that water accounts for between 40% and 45% of carbon released, which increases ocean acidification. Acidity affects plants and animals in the area.

Enric Sala, executive director of the Pristine Seas project, said countries “do not take into account” that carbon dioxide emissions are “very high”: “Our study has shown that addressing these and other emissions is critical to curbing global warming and improving the state of the sea. It is good news that reducing carbon emissions from trawling will bring immediate benefits. But it’s bad news that if this delays trawling, it will continue to damage the atmosphere for another decade.”