BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union Court of Justice on Thursday backed Brussels’ decision to ban, starting in July, the use of electric shocks to stun fish before they are collected with nets.
The high community court dismissed an appeal from the Netherlands alleging that the EU did not consider the latest scientific evidence when making the decision two years ago.
This measure will particularly affect the Dutch fishing fleet, which has invested heavily in electric fishing. They argue that the technique is environmentally friendly because it allows trawlers to use less fuel and does not damage the seabed.
More than 80 of the 137 trawlers of the country’s flora are equipped to carry out this technique.
Critics present it as a method of industrial fishing that is depleting fish stocks.
“The Court rejects the action presented by the Netherlands in its entirety,” the CJEU said in a statement.
The Dutch fishing federation said the ruling will bankrupt a sector hard hit by Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.
“Due to the ban on electric fishing, costs will rise significantly. We have already seen family businesses abandon after generations fishing. More bankruptcies will come, ‘said the group.
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