In Strasbourg on Tuesday 16 January, the European Parliament adopted its position, amendment by amendment, on the regulation on the conservation of fish resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures (see EUROPE 11909), taking a position against the authorisation on an experimental basis in the European Union of electro fishing, or electric pulse trawling, in the North Sea.
The four amendments proposing an end to the derogations allowing pulse trawling to be used on an experimental basis by up to 5% of each member state’s beam trawler fleet operating in the North Sea were adopted by the wide majority of 402 votes to 232, with 40 abstentions. The Greens and United European Left Groups in particular hailed this victory.
European Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella expressed the view that, if properly monitored and correctly used, electric pulse trawling can offer an alternative method of fishing that is less harmful to the environment by reducing by-catches, lessening damage to the sea bed and cutting CO2 emissions. At the present time, 84 Dutch vessels use pulse trawling and Belgium has requested derogations for three vessels.
The NGO WWF says, however, that MEPs have missed an opportunity to reduce the impact of fishing on the environment. Parliament, it says, has voted for a lowering of existing environmental standards, particularly for juveniles and also turtles and sea birds. The only positive piece of news is that the European Parliament voted to ban the use of pulse or electro-fishing nets, it says.
In general terms, the new regulation will replace over 30 legislative texts and introduce common, simplified measures on fishing gear, fishing methods, authorised species and minimum catch sizes for fish in all the waters of the EU, while allowing regional and specifically tailored measures to be adopted for each of the EU’s seven sea basins.
Inter-institutional negotiations will now be able to begin with the Council and the European Commission. Member states’ fisheries ministers reached a political agreement on these technical measures on 11 May (see EUROPE 11786), which included keeping the derogation on pulse trawling in place. (Original version in French)