Second Interim Report of the Working Group on Electrical Trawling (WGELECTRA)

WGELECTRA met in IJmuiden, the Netherlands from 10-12 November 2015 to review knowledge of the effects of electrical fishing on the marine environment (a), evaluate the effect of a wide introduction of electric fishing (b), conduct a pilot study on control and enforcement procedures for flatfish pulse trawling (c), evaluate the impacts of restrictions on pulse characteristics for shrimp pulse trawling and groundrope configurations (d), to make an inventory of views on pulse fishing among various stake-holders in European member states (e), and respond to a request by France for ICES to review the work of the Study Group on Electrical Trawling (SGELECTRA) and IMARES and to provide an updated advice on the ecosystem effects of the pulse trawl, and especially on the lesions associated and mortality for targeted and non-targeted species that contact or are exposed to the gear but are not retained on board, and with special reference to those species covered by the on Natura 2000 species and habitats Directives (f).