The European Fish Wars have entered a new chapter, following previous fishing ground conflicts in the North Atlantic between Britain and Iceland during the 1950s–1970s and the expulsion of French boats from British waters after Brexit in 2016.
Perang perikanan mulai masuk babak baru di Eropa, setelah konflik hak penangkapan ikan Laut Atlantik Utara antara Inggris dan Islandia antara tahun 1950an hinca 1970an serta pengusiran kapal-kapal nelayan Perancis dari perairan Inggris setelah negara ini keluar dari Uni Eropa pada Tahun 2016 (Brexit).
A Pulse Beam Trawl moored in Yerseke Port in Zeeland , The Netherlands
Credit: Ady Candra / Shutterstock.com
I traveled to Yerseke Port in early October 2016, before the winter season in Europe. This seaport is one of the centers of the fishing industry in the Netherlands, mainly for mussels, oysters, and demersal fish.
Saya mengunjungi Pelabuhan Yarkese pada bulan Oktober 2016, menjelang musim dingin di Eropa. Pelabuhan ini merupakan salah satu sentra industri perikanan di Belanda, terutama untuk kerang, tiram dan ikan dasar.
At the edge of the jetty was moored a pulse beam trawl, which had long been a source of 'argument wars' between Dutch scientists and scientists from other European countries.
Ditepi dermaga, sedang bertambat kapal pulse beam trawl yang selama bertahun-tahun terakhir menjadi “perang argumen” antara peneliti dari Belanda dengan peneliti dari negara lainnya di Eropa.
A pulse beam trawl was moored at Yerseke Port. Some environmental activities oppose the operation of this fishing gear.
Credit: Ady Candra / Shutterstock.com
Pulse Beam Trawl Conflicts
The conflict between scientists peaked after the European Parliament prohibited the operation of pulse beam trawls in European waters in 2019. Eventually, in 2021, all pulse beam trawls were prohibited in all European waters.
Konflik antar peneliti ini memuncak setelah Parlemen Uni Eropa melarang penggunaan pulse beam trawl secara bertahap mulai tahun 2019. Pada akhirnya di tahun 2021, seluruh kapal pulse beam trawl dilarang beroperasi di perairan Uni Eropa.
Initially, the European Parliament prohibited pulse beam trawling based on a recommendation from the British Fishermen's Organization and other European countries, excluding the Netherlands. The prohibition of this fishing gear was also supported by BLOOM, a non-governmental organization from France. According to them, pulse beam trawling has a negative impact on the marine environment, and the Dutch government was not transparent in its subsidy policy for the fishing industry.
Mulanya, parlemen Uni Eropa melarang beroperasi pulse beam trawl berdasarkan masukan dari organisasi nelayan pantai dari Inggris dan negara uni eropa, kecuali Belanda. Larangan penggunaan alat tangkap ini juga didukung oleh LSM BLOOM berbasis Perancis yang telah mengkampanyekannyan sejak lama. Menurut mereka, pulse beam trawl berdampak buruk buruk pada lingkungan perairan serta Pemerintah Belanda tidak transparan terhadap subsidi yang diberikan kepada industri perikanan Belanda.
A Pulse Beam Trawl was moored in the deck Yerseke, Zeeland Province in Netherlands.
Credit: Ady Candra / Shutterstock.com
The accusation was opposed by the Dutch government, which was supported by Dutch fishing organizations and scientists from Wageningen University. Their opinion was that pulse beam trawling could reduce environmental damage because it does not disturb the seabed like conventional beam trawling. They further argued that pulse beam trawling is a selective fishing method that reduces bycatch and saves fuel.
Tentunya tuduhan tersebut ditentang oleh pemerintah Belanda yang didukung oleh peneliti-peneliti dari Universitas Wageningen dan Asosiasi Perikanan Belanda. Menurut mereka penggunaan pulse beam trawl dapat mengurangi kerusakan lingkungan karena tidak mengaduk dasar seperti beam trawl kovensional. Selanjutnya alat tangkap ini juga selektif dalam menangkap ikan dan mengurangi tangkapan sampingan (bycaych) serta signifikan menghemat penggunaan bahan bakar.
Originally, Pulse Beam Trawl is innovation from Duct Reseachers in Wageningen University
Credit: Ady Candra / Shutterstock.com
Although it was prohibited in the waters of EU member states since 2012, the Dutch government, supported by fishing organizations and scientists, continued to advocate for its use. In September 2024, the Dutch government began negotiations with the European Parliament to allow the operation of pulse beam trawling in EU member states' waters. This strategy was supported by research provided by Dutch scientists, although it faced opposition from many European scientists.
Meskipun telah dilarang total sejak tahun 2021, perjuangan pemerintah yang didukung oleh peneliti dan organisasi perikanan di Belanda tak jua surut. Pada September tahun ini, Pemerintah Belanda memulai negosiasi dengan Uni Eropa untuk diperbolehkan penggunaan pulse beam trawl. Upaya ini tentunya ditopang dari justifikasi ilmiah oleh ilmuawan perikanan Belanda yang akan ditentang oleh ilmuawan dari negara Eropa lainya.
A Pulse Beam Trawl used electric current to catch dermesal fish. Since 2021, This fishing gear prohibited operational in European Union Waters.
Credit: Ady Candra / Shutterstock.com
