The phrase "a trawl for" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to describe the act of searching or sifting through information or data to find something specific.
Example: "The researchers conducted a trawl for relevant studies to support their hypothesis."
Alternatives: "a search for" or "an exploration of".
I have commissioned a trawl for the email and electronic evidence on: Overseas trips: – Details from Dr Fox's diary for the 18 trips (including holidays) on which it is believed that Adam Werritty was present.
In her interim report, she said she had commissioned a "trawl for the email and electronic evidence" at the MoD on all 18 trips, "including details of who else was present … and who attended which formal and informal events".
The report's findings, handed over to the BBC Trust yesterday, came as part of a "trawl" for breaches of "editorial standards" after BBC programmes from Comic Relief to Blue Peter were caught up in last year's "annus horribilis" across the broadcasting industry.
Kent has explained that he started off by doing "a trawl for writers, including novelists, from the subcontinent" but that, apart from Iranian-born Siba Shakib, who works in Afghanistan and whose work is featured, he didn't come up with much.
Workers were told on Thursday that a trawl for voluntary redundancies would begin next Monday.
BAE job losses are expected to be phased in over the next three years and a trawl for voluntary redundancies has already begun.
The inquiry into the west coast mainline franchise competition has demanded a trawl of Department for Transport emails to search for rumoured "anyone but Branson" comments after finding that bidding companies were treated differently.
The application of this tool when designing a bottom trawl for research vessels leads to an energy economy ranging from 16%to52%2% under certain assumptions.
A first trawl for her name on comparemyradio.com delivers a "Your search didn't return any results" page to freeze the blood; a repeat exercise delivers 10 plays, nationwide.
An investigator couldn't just happen upon it as part of a general trawl for allegations against Savile.
More than a year later, when he finally felt ready to try his hand at fiction again, he began an agonising trawl for new material.
