22-01-2018
Electric fishing: Europe plans to recover the currents in the catch of drag
The electric fishing is used in continental waters from the 50-60 years but for scientific purposes and from where comes the idea of applying it to ocean fishing. "It is not invasive and is used on certain occasions for the study of fish and species threatened in continental waters. By establishing a small electric field, the fish are attracted and they are stunned by the electric impulse. This allows you to capture them in networks and measure them and mark them to release them three 10-15 seconds, which is when they begin to recover. It is also used to capture invading species. The mortality of catches in science is very low, from 1x1,000. However, the electrical impulse efficiency depends on the salinity and temperature of the water. This means that the powers that are used in the sea for fishing are much greater in the application for the capture of a fish for scientific purposes in fresh water. Working with intensities of between 5-6 amperes can have negative effects on fish, "explains Adolfo de Sostoa, researcher at the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona.
Another detail is that it is also a method of non-selective fishing such as trawling, which are those that are being discussed. "It allows access to resources that were harder to get to date. Flat pieces living half-buried. With the capture of some network, they have the possibility of escaping. For that reason the Dutch fleet speaks of increase of the efficiency. Needless to say, it must be prohibited, but it is necessary to take into account what it means to increase the pressure on fishing resources when most of the populations are already overexploited. The situation has improved in the North Sea compared to a few years ago but it does not seem good idea that this practice is generalized, "says Lluís Cardona, an expert in Fauna Marina at IRBio.
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Another detail is that it is also a method of non-selective fishing such as trawling, which are those that are being discussed. "It allows access to resources that were harder to get to date. Flat pieces living half-buried. With the capture of some network, they have the possibility of escaping. For that reason the Dutch fleet speaks of increase of the efficiency. Needless to say, it must be prohibited, but it is necessary to take into account what it means to increase the pressure on fishing resources when most of the populations are already overexploited. The situation has improved in the North Sea compared to a few years ago but it does not seem good idea that this practice is generalized, "says Lluís Cardona, an expert in Fauna Marina at IRBio.
Further information