4.3.4—Unsustainable harvesting practices

Different fishing practices damage different parts of the system: habitat, future recruitment, toxicity exposure or selectivity.

Bottom trawls disturb seabed; lost gear causes ghost fishing; poisons harm reef organisms; explosives kill indiscriminately and shatter habitat. Link practice to mechanism before judging impact.

A lost gillnet continues catching animals without a vessel present, so removal of lost gear addresses continuing mortality.

Bottom trawling and explosives directly damage physical habitat, whereas ghost gear continues capturing organisms after fishing equipment has been lost or abandoned.

‘Destructive’ is not one mechanism; specify what is damaged and how recovery is reduced.