R. Watson, C. Revenga, Y. Kura, (2006). Fisheries Research 79, 103-111.
Fishing gears, instrumental to the fishing process, exert direct but often poorly documented impacts on marine communities and habitats. Analysis of global fishing patterns is now possible using a database that associates all global catch with fishing gear types. Maps prepared from this database are particularly useful to help assess the impact of fishing gears such as bottom trawls and dredges, which have been shown to have significant impacts on marine communities.