Bottom Disturbing Fishing Gear

Habitats Affected:

Shell bottom, SAV, soft bottom, ocean hard bottom, water column

Common Sources:

See Table Below.

Impacts:

• Mobile bottom disturbing gears dig down into the bottom and uproot SAV.
• Hard bottom and shell bottom structure can be broken apart, killing organisms and reducing habitat value.
• The vertical profile of subtidal oyster reefs can be lowered, making the shell bottom community more susceptible to low oxygen events.
• Elevated turbidity can degrade water column, SAV, shell botttom, or hard bottom habitat, depending on the frequency and intensity.
• Disturbance of soft bottom habitat can alter productivity of benthic microalgae and reduce structural complexity of the bottom.

Go back to Threats to Coastal Fish Habitat (Overview Chart)…