This work was carried out as part of the Fisheries Science Partnership (FSP)
programme which is a Defra funded collaborative programme of scientific
research between the UK Fishing Industry and scientists. This programme was
introduced in 2003 to build relationships between UK fishermen and scientists
and to involve fishermen in the co-commissioning of science. The primary
objective of this project was to conduct a survey to assess the effects of
pulse trawling off the English east coast, near to the Port of Ramsgate. The
fleet of large, predominantly Dutch, beam trawlers has adopted novel pulse
trawl technology in recent years. The fishing grounds beyond 12 nautical miles
off Ramsgate have been identified as a hotspot for pulse trawling with the
local inshore fishermen reporting observations of a detrimental effect to
their fishing grounds, including a perceived reduction in the common sole
(Solea solea) catches in the area, this perceived reduction in catch is not
addressed in this report.
