Electric Pulse Fishing – Suddenly it is appearing.

At Coastal Futures Conference in January Jerry Percy, CE of Low Impact Fishers of Europe, presented a disturbing picture of the rise in electric pulse fishing. Beam trawling operates by towing a heavy steel beam, with a number of ‘tickler chains’ arrayed behind it, to force flatfish species, mainly Sole, Plaice and Turbot out of the seabed and into the path of the collecting net.

Concern has been rising over the impact on the seabed and plants and animals that live there (the benthos) and the by-catch from beam trawling. In addition this method is particularly fuel intensive, and costly, even with lower fuel prices. This has affected incomes in the sector. Despite the explicitly prohibited use of electricity, poisons or explosives under EU Regulation 850/98 (as amended), in 2009, the European Commission provided a derogation (an exemption from or relaxation of a rule or law) for a maximum 5% of national beam trawler fleets operating in the North Sea to use electric pulse equipment on an experimental basis.

From an initial five Dutch vessels, referred to as a ‘study group’ that began using electricity to replace tickler chains in 2010, this group has grown in number. During 2015, benefitting from Article 14 of the then new Common Fisheries Policy that provides opportunities for ‘pilot projects’ to improve selectivity and reduce fuel use and benthic impacts, the number of vessels using this technology has increased at the present time to over 100, mainly from Holland but also from the UK, Germany and Belgium, with some conversions funded by the EU.

The widespread use of this equipment as an alternative to traditional beam trawling has replaced one set of concerns with others in that catches of some species, notably Sole, have increased dramatically, and the lighter gear has allowed vessels to fish in previously unfishable areas. There has been a significant increase in local aggregations of pulse vessels, leading to worries related to localised overfishing.

The method produces an element of damage, including broken backs and electrical burns in both the retained catch and to fish left on the seabed.