Using AIS vessel data and ESRI Arc GIS, Pacific Wild’s investigation shows over the last 13 years, nine factory trawlers have collectively scoured an area larger than Ireland – totalling 89,700 square kilometres along Canada’s pacific coast- trawling both the seafloor and midwater of ecologically sensitive offshore habitats.
These vessels, many with troubling histories in the Northeast Atlantic, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Bering Sea—have travelled more than 900,000 kilometres— operating out of sight and out of mind to most Canadians.
In 2024, Pacific Wild broke the news that the Pacific Region mid-water groundfish trawl fishery alone caught more than 28,000 salmon as bycatch, 93% of which were Chinook salmon, in 2022/2023. This new mapping investigation shows that this is not an isolated case. Alarmingly, many of their trawl pathways concentrate on critical biodiversity hotspots and overlap with Chinook salmon migration routes. These are essential feeding grounds for endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales and support the broader coastal food web—from herring and salmon to whales, wolves, and seabirds.
Explore the story map below to dive deep into the hidden impact of industrial trawling on Canada’s Pacific Coast.
Tip: if you would like to view it full size in a separate browser directly from the ArcGIS platform, click here.
