Huge nets, sometimes miles long, stretch across the ocean, swallowing up everything in their path. Factory trawlers are emptying the oceans of sea life at an alarming pace. Thirteen of the 17 major global fisheries are depleted or in serious decline. The decline in fish populations is leading to increasing conflicts between fishers and wildlife who eat fish. Some fishers intentionally kill or maim seals, birds, and marine mammals whom they perceive as a threat to their catch.
Some species are in decline as a result of overfishing.
Factory trawlers haul up tens of thousands of fish in one pull, keeping the most profitable and dumping the rest back. Critically endangered sea turtles are killed incidentally by the thousands by shrimp trawlers. Aquaculture, or fish farming, is now big business. In fact, most of the trout, catfish, and many other fish consumed in the U.S. are raised in fish factories. Factory-farmed fish are kept in shallow concrete troughs.