Abstract
The ocean provides both socioeconomic and climate benefits, but these benefits can potentially conflict when fishing disrupts the carbon sequestration potential of marine macrofauna and disturbs carbon-rich sediments. A lack of understanding about the spatial overlap between fishing activity and key carbon sequestration areas hinders efforts to incorporate climate considerations into fisheries management. Here, we identify potentially conflicting oceanic carbon areas with pelagic (COCA-P) and bottom-trawling fisheries (COCA-BT) separately. We show that COCA-P cover 11.2% of the ocean, with 60% occurring in the high seas, while COCA-BT cover 3.7% of the ocean, mainly in coastal areas where 56.4% of global trawling catches occur. Only 1% of COCAs overlap both fishery types, suggesting that targeted adjustments in fishing practices could mitigate conflicts. These findings provide critical insights for fisheries management, informing policies that balance food security, economic interests, and carbon sequestration in the ocean.