On electric pulse fishing in the North Sea, the Netherlands 

The petitioner complains about the damaging effects of electric pulse fishing, which uses cables to send electric pulses along the seabed, “stunning” fish and driving them easier into the fishermen’s nets. Fishing with electricity has been banned in the EU since 1998, but in 2007 an exception was made for electric pulse fishing. The petitioner shows that 28% of the Dutch fleet is equipped with electric pulse systems, which exceeds EU quotas and causes unfair competition on the EU’s internal market, because it allows Dutch fishermen to easily and consistently multiply their catch. In the petitioner’s view this intensive fishing method is contrary to the principle of animal sentience and the need to protect fish welfare, as enshrined in Arts. 11 and 13 TFUE, because it inflicts serious suffering on fish at the time of death and also indiscriminately affects the other species present in the seabed, jeopardizing the entire marine ecosystem. The petitioner calls on the European Parliament to instate a full EU-wide ban on this fishing method and to promote better animal welfare legislation.