Final Report of the Working Groupon Electrical Trawling (WGELECTRA)

WGELECTRA met three times (22–24/10/2014; 10–12/11/2015, and 17–19/01/2017) to discuss the ongoing research projects in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany and provide an overview of the state of the art knowledge of the ecological effects. Pulse trawls are used in the North Sea fishery for flatfish and brown shrimp. The shrimp pulse applies a low frequency pulse that invokes a startle response (tailflip) in shrimps. The sole pulse applies a higher frequency that invokes a cramp response that immobilise the fish species facilitating the catching process. The use of electricity in fishing has raised considerable concern among stakeholders which is mainly focused on the un-known effects on marine organisms and the functioning of the benthic ecosystem but also altered fishing efforts & catch efficiencies.