Banning pulse fishing: “I think we should just be glad it is done and press for further banning of destructive practices.”
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There are concerns about supertrawlers and bottom trawlers which drag the bottom of the seabed clean of everything and anything:
Marine conservation after Brexit – Vision Group for Sidmouth
There is the similarly-destructive practice of ‘pulse fishing’:
The practice, which is controversial among environmentalists, sees electrical pulses being sent into the seawater to flush out bottom-dwelling fish like plaice and sole, causing them to swim into the path of trawl nets. Its backers say it is a friendlier alternative to beam trawling, where a large net is dragged across the ocean floor, destructively scooping up everything in its path. But its opponents say pulse trawling can fatally injure other species, which may not be part of the target catch.
Pulse fishing: What is it and has Boris Johnson banned it? | The Independent
A correspondent looks at the issues:
“This legislation was passed last Feb to come into effect when the UK left the EU, so why are/were people saying we wouldn’t be protecting the marine environment?
EU vessels prevented from electric shock fishing post Brexit – GOV.UK
I found it because of the Express, who of all papers were the only ones making the point that this sort of fishing has become illegal from midnight:
This was on Twitter:
Charles Clover on Twitter: “BREAKING NEWS FROM DEFRA
And it is being reported on US sites:
Brexit in action! Boris Johnson immediately BANS pulse fishing in UK waters – The Us Posts
Although the announcement isn’t on the DEFRA website, there are lots of other interesting things:
pulse fishing banned – Search – GOV.UK
including:
Managing fisheries in marine protected areas – GOV.UK
Following the lead of the Express this is now being picked up by other papers:
EU fishermen banned from electric ‘pulse trawling’ as UK takes back control of waters after Brexit (paywall)
Though the Independent claims we could have done it already if we wanted:
Pulse fishing: What is it and has Boris Johnson banned it? | The Independent
I doubt, though, if it would have gone down well with negotiators if we had been pressing ahead with changes which spooked them, and is probably all linked in with other legislative changes.