The European Parliament has voted to outlaw “pulse fishing”, which uses electricity to stun fish, in European Union (EU) waters. Although the technique was already technically illegal within the EU, a loophole meant that countries were permitted to catch up to 5% of annual quotas via “innovative methods”. In order for pulses to be banned, they must have been caught with an electric device and then stunned before being thrown back into the sea. However, the European Commission and the government of the Netherlands argue that pulse fishing is less damaging to the environment than trawling. This is about a technique called pulse fishing, where trawlers use nets that generate an electric current. French and UK supermarkets Intermarché and Waitrose have banned fish caught using the technique.
The European Parliament has voted to outlaw “pulse fishing”, which uses electricity to stun fish, in European Union (EU) waters. Although the technique was already technically illegal within the EU, a loophole meant that countries were permitted to catch up to 5% of annual quotas via “innovative methods”. In order for pulses to be banned, they must have been caught with an electric device and then stunned before being thrown back into the sea. However, the European Commission and the government of the Netherlands argue that pulse fishing is less damaging to the environment than trawling. French and UK supermarkets Intermarché and Waitrose have banned fish caught using the technique.