Scallops burrow into the sandy seafloor. Young cod find shelter among delicate underwater forests of sea fans , tubeworms and anemones . Eelgrass shelters scallops in the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve . In recent years, people have started fishing heavily with bottom trawls and dredges , which drag huge, heavy nets over the seafloor, scooping up everything in their path. But they devastate the seafloor and hurt fish populations by destroying the habitats where fish hide and feed.
Some scientists believe trawling and dredging are as destructive as clear-cutting forests on land.
Let fish sellers and lawmakers know that you support sustainable fisheries. Join a conservation group working to protect coasts and other natural habitats for the future.