I shot this footage 14 years ago of a commercial trawl net being hauled. As trawling impacts are gaining considerable attention at the moment I decided to produce some short edits of.

This project was, at the time, intended to capture footage of the trawl net working on the seabed, repeating dives I had done almost 20 years previously. Unfortunately the visibility close to the seabed was almost zero due to a thick plankton bloom. This made filming impossible, and any operation around moving fishing gear too dangerous. So instead we revised the plan and shot in the top few metres as the trawl was hauled.

A trawl net being hauled, full of fish at the end of a tow. This footage shows the cod end (the end of the net that holds the fish) as it is being pulled to the surface.

A trawl net, full of fish, as it is hauled to the surface. Bottom trawling is one of the most widespread, and most controversial, of fishing methods. Bottom trawl can damage or destroy fragile bottom living species such as bryozoans, sponges, corals and sea pens; they are also considered fairly non-selective, often catching and killing many non-target species. This image was taken within Lyme Bay, outside the area closed to bottom towed gear and outside the proposed Special Area of Conservation (SAC). © Colin Munro Photography
A trawl net, full of fish, as it is hauled to the surface. Bottom trawling is one of the most widespread, and most controversial, of fishing methods. Bottom trawl can damage or destroy fragile bottom living species such as bryozoans, sponges, corals and sea pens; they are also considered fairly non-selective, often catching and killing many non-target species. This image was taken within Lyme Bay, outside the area closed to bottom towed gear and outside the proposed Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
A trawl net, full of fish, as it is hauled to the surface. Picture taken from directly above the net, at sea level, looking towards the stern of the boat. ©Colin Munro Photography
A trawl net, full of fish, as it is hauled to the surface. Bottom trawling is one of the most widespread, and most controversial, of fishing methods.
Close up of the cod end of a trawl net, full of fish, as it is hauled to the surface. Picture from underwater, below the net, looking up. ©Colin Munro Photography
Close up of the cod end of a trawl net, full of fish, as it is hauled to the surface.

Keywords: Trawl net, cod end, trawler, underwater, fish catch, commercial fishing, trawl catch, commercial trawling, otter trawl, codend,

Back in 2009 I wrote a blog about my first time diving on a trawl net. You can read it here. You can read more about this filming of the trawl here.

Most of my images are available to license by contacting me directly. For video footage please also email me directly.

You can follow me on Facebook at Colin Munro Photography and Instagram at @ColinMunroPhoto and X (twitter) at @colinmunrophoto

You can find my articles on Substack here or by searching for @colinmunrophoto.

You can also read (and subscribe to if you like) my Blog at colinmunrophotography.com/blog .