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U-Know! Forum » Europe to legalise Pulse Fishing |
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tjj 3606 posts |
Nov 27, 2017, 20:06
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So much for Blue Planet ... killing it off bit by bit. http://www.thejournal.ie/pulse-fishing-europe-3715181-Nov2017/?utm_source=shortlink
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tjj 3606 posts |
Edited Nov 28, 2017, 11:24
Nov 28, 2017, 11:10
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Am surprised, or maybe not, there has been no comment on this. Perhaps no one wants to be seen to criticise the EU in the current political climate. Maybe, just maybe, the one positive aspect of withdrawing from the EU is regaining control over the UK fishing industry. Pulse fishing is a cause of great environmental concern, compared closely to fracking, seems to be driven primarily by the Dutch. To be informed please read this paper, originally written in 2012 but extensively rewritten this year in light of current developments: http://britishseafishing.co.uk/pulse-trawling/ Quote: For the UK the prospect of Brexit and leaving the European Union and the Common Fisheries Policy offers the possibility of regaining control of British territorial waters. If this was done then it would be perfectly possible for the UK government to ban all forms of pulse trawling and electro-fishing within UK waters, if the political will to do so was there. Professor Daniel Pauly, the world-renowned fisheries scientist is a prominent critic of the way that the EU has managed its fisheries and believes that Brexit offers the opportunity for the UK not only to ban pulse trawling but also to rebuild its fish stocks. He spoke about pulse trawling at a conference in London in January 2017 saying: “The opportunity you have now is to do better than the EU has done . . . Trawling is very destructive gear, pulling everything in and destroying habitat and so on . . . But you can make things worse. You can add insult to injury by electrifying this thing. So the animals that would slip under the net get a spasm of electricity. They jump up and they are caught. So you can add to the things that you catch: the last worm, the last little shrimp in the sea. That is literally scraping the bottom of the sea” (12).
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Nov 28, 2017, 11:54
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"Perhaps no one wants to be seen to criticise the EU in the current political climate.".... There's probably some truth in that June, despite people agreeing with you about pulse fishing.
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grufty jim 1978 posts |
Nov 28, 2017, 12:16
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The idea that people don't want to be seen to "criticise the EU" made me smile. Isn't that the national past-time in the UK at the moment? It's like when The Express complains about how "you're not allowed talk about immigration anymore" after a solid month of front-page headlines about immigration. The EU is a flawed institution; and I don't think there's a single pro-EU person who doesn't recognise that (I continue to harshly attack the EU's approach to the banking crisis in 2008 any time I find an unsuspecting audience). But if anything; the exit of Britain (historically the country who does most to push the EU in a low-regulation / free-market direction) will allow the EU to become more socially and ecologically responsible. In theory anyway. On the specific issue of pulse fishing. The pro-pulse summary I read suggests it might actually do less overall damage to the ecosystem than standard trawling (they would say that of course; but the rationale did seem sound in fairness). The anti-pulse people say the opposite. As an adherent to the precautionary principle on ecological matters, I would still put myself in the "anti" camp for now (based on the tiny amount I read). And if the EU do legalise it; then that would indeed be a bad thing; and I would hope they keep a very close eye on the impact and be ready to rapidly reverse that decision if necessary. What I find fanciful is the notion that anyone can view a post-brexit UK as being more likely to be environmentally responsible than (a) the EU, or (b) the UK itself while inside the EU. In fact, the UK government has explicitly cited the lowering of regulations as a primary reason it is leaving the Customs Union and Single Market. Remember all that talk about a "Singapore-style" low regulation economy? All that stuff about lowering food standards to meet the requirements for a US free-trade deal (chlorine chicken? antibiotic beef? massive expansion of GM crops?) Do you think in that environment, with that philosophy and stated aim, the UK will suddenly become a staunch protector of the environment? Free from the restraint of all EU regulation, does anyone think the UK will become more environmentally regulated? Does anyone think they wouldn't introduce pulse-fishing and be a damn-sight slower to end it if it turns out to be highly destructive? Maybe you do, and that's fine. I may think you're naive about trusting the people pushing brexit to be responsible in other areas. And you may think I'm a cynic for automatically assuming Johnson, Fox, Davis, Gove and May don't give a damn about the environment and would be glad to introduce pulse fishing if they thought it might make some money for someone. Ultimately we shall see. The ecosystem will end up losing whatever happens. but then... it always does.
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Nov 28, 2017, 12:29
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"What I find fanciful is the notion that anyone can view a post-brexit UK as being more likely to be environmentally responsible" I couldn't agree more. Yet the Tories have the almighty neck to pretend it's so. Even Gove has turned into Mr Environmentally Kind - just about the most cynical pretence of the year.
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tjj 3606 posts |
Edited Nov 28, 2017, 17:57
Nov 28, 2017, 13:35
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grufty jim wrote: The idea that people don't want to be seen to "criticise the EU" made me smile. Isn't that the national past-time in the UK at the moment? It's like when The Express complains about how "you're not allowed talk about immigration anymore" after a solid month of front-page headlines about immigration ..... Once again, thanks for your measured analysis Jim. First of all, my source information was an Irish news-link and I understand it is causing a lot of concern there .... "The Irish Wildlife Trust had urged the committee’s members to resist the measure. In a statement it said: “The development of industrial electrocution of marine life is a further indicator of chronic overfishing of our waters, which requires ever more destructive modes of capture to target what’s left of fish and invertebrate populations for commercial exploitation.” Criticising the EU is not a national past time in the UK - depends on which papers you read I suppose (didn't know the Express still existed). On the contrary, everywhere I look is gloom about the future. We are a country that has lost its confidence and one of the royals popping up to announce their forthcoming nuptials seems like a convenient distraction. I have no idea at the moment what the UK Govt stance on this issue is but of course, given this current lot, I would be very surprised if it were anything other than your view. We can't just sleep walk into allowing yet more marine destruction - it's not just the plight of the fishermen (who have a long and valuable heritage) its the plight of us all. Its our oceans being raped and pillaged - no point in highlighting plastic getting into the seas (from washing our clothes as well, I heard this morning) if we don't collectively act to protect the already depleted fish stocks. Bird life will of course suffer too.
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Howburn Digger 986 posts |
Nov 28, 2017, 17:46
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"Pulse Fishing" isn't fishing. It isn't trawling. It isn't tidal netting. It isn't stake netting. It isn't creeling. It isn't running multiple Mackerel lines from a boat. It isn't spinning. It isn't bait fishing. It is a chronic response to overfishing. Simply paralyse what remains and scoop it up in nets while the EU still has access to UK waters. After Brexit the access to UK waters will still be negotiated and sold off by Westminster and Holyrood to whatever countries want to fish here. Europe deems it a "Green" kind of fishing because it uses less fuel in the trawlers (no need to trawl around - just zap and net everything under the boat). It is just like Germany deems a massive expansion of Coal, Gas and Fossil Fuel Power Stations to be "Green" because it will mean less Nuclear waste. If you repeat these kind of twisted propaganda mantras eventually people start believing they are true. Kill everything... saves time.
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tjj 3606 posts |
Edited Nov 29, 2017, 16:15
Nov 29, 2017, 16:10
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Howburn Digger wrote: "Pulse Fishing" isn't fishing. It isn't trawling. It isn't tidal netting. It isn't stake netting. It isn't creeling. It isn't running multiple Mackerel lines from a boat. It isn't spinning. It isn't bait fishing. It is a chronic response to overfishing. Simply paralyse what remains and scoop it up in nets while the EU still has access to UK waters. After Brexit the access to UK waters will still be negotiated and sold off by Westminster and Holyrood to whatever countries want to fish here. Europe deems it a "Green" kind of fishing because it uses less fuel in the trawlers (no need to trawl around - just zap and net everything under the boat). It is just like Germany deems a massive expansion of Coal, Gas and Fossil Fuel Power Stations to be "Green" because it will mean less Nuclear waste. If you repeat these kind of twisted propaganda mantras eventually people start believing they are true. Kill everything... saves time. Thanks for your comment. I was afraid I might have jumped in too deep without being fully aware of all the issues - such as fuel economy. I found this 2016 article which explains things quite well. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/nature-studies-pulse-fishing-is-the-marine-equivalent-of-fracking-a6930671.html I don't know why I've only just become so aware it, perhaps watching Blue Planet and realising how fragile and precious our oceans and seas are in the face of human onslaught.
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Howburn Digger 986 posts |
Nov 29, 2017, 18:49
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Nicola Surgeon's first move after the Brexit vote was to visit Germany and The Dutch to trade them future access to fish Scottish Waters in return for EU Membership for a devolved Scotland. Jesus. Talk about flogging the last of the Family Silver cheap. Now she's trying to tie the Scottish Fishing Fleet with this garbage (and make no mistake... this one comes from the EU - not Holyrood or Westminster)... https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/849200/Nicola-Sturgeon-SNP-Scotland-fish-industry-Fergus-Ewing-Rural-Economy-Minister Nicola simply cannot see what protecting our waters and maintaining sovereignty actually means. Bad enough that Thatcher sold our Oil, Telecoms, Coal, Forestry, Electric, Water and Gas cheap to her City pals. But Nicola giving away our seas and their precious and irreplaceable contents to a bunch of pretend fishermen with "Pulse" Weapons? Now let me think what will happen...
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drewbhoy 2553 posts |
Nov 30, 2017, 12:05
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Howburn Digger wrote: Nicola Surgeon's first move after the Brexit vote was to visit Germany and The Dutch to trade them future access to fish Scottish Waters in return for EU Membership for a devolved Scotland. Jesus. Talk about flogging the last of the Family Silver cheap. Now she's trying to tie the Scottish Fishing Fleet with this garbage (and make no mistake... this one comes from the EU - not Holyrood or Westminster)... https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/849200/Nicola-Sturgeon-SNP-Scotland-fish-industry-Fergus-Ewing-Rural-Economy-Minister Nicola simply cannot see what protecting our waters and maintaining sovereignty actually means. Bad enough that Thatcher sold our Oil, Telecoms, Coal, Forestry, Electric, Water and Gas cheap to her City pals. But Nicola giving away our seas and their precious and irreplaceable contents to a bunch of pretend fishermen with "Pulse" Weapons? Now let me think what will happen... The report says Scottish Nationalist Party, who are they?
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