West Coast bottom trawlers use nets that scoop up fish from the sea bottom across the continental shelf and slope. The harvests are managed through a regional fishery council and NOAA Fisheries, which have expanded no-trawl zones in the past decade to protect overfished species.

The no-trawl areas on this map include a seasonal Rockfish Conservation Area (colored green) that change according to the time of the year. The RCA shown here is from 2009. The other areas closed to bottom trawling are depicted in red and include essential fish habitat. Some areas protect specific features, such as sea mounts, that may be rich with coral and could be damaged by trawling.

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