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”. The Netherlands has been testing the controversial technique as part of scientific research. Critics claim that the system harms fish and also kills other marine species. However, EU and the government of the UK argue that pulse fishing is less damaging to the environment than trawling. British and Netherlands supermarkets Intermarché and Intermarché 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”. Critics claim that the system harms fish and also kills other marine species. However, EU and the government of the UK argue that pulse fishing is less damaging to the environment than trawling. British and Netherlands supermarkets Intermarché and Intermarché have banned fish caught using the technique.