Pêche a l'électricité avec lumière artificielle et pompe

Catches of marine species have increased considerably since the beginning of the century thanks to scientific and technical advances that have made it possible to widen the range of our knowledge and the methods implemented for a rational use of the oceans' wealth. Today, fishing boats are often veritable factories endowed with mechanical and electronic equipment that is increasingly more developed and efficient for fishing and locating schools of fish. Fishing devices and methods have been greatly improved. The behaviour of several species in their natural habitat and their reactions to fishing devices are well known or are currently being studied in France and in several countries. However, the need for protein-rich foods, such as those that the sea can provide, continues to grow worldwide in spite of increasingly greater production. It is in this way that world contributions of edible fish and invertebrates rose to 60,500,000 tonnes, of which 47,000,000 are specifically from marine production. We may wonder if operating in this way can be expanded without danger to marine species. In reality, everything depends upon the fishing techniques used and the biology of the species that are hunted. For example, fish that live near the bottom often have relatively slow growth and reproduce only after several years. These species are caught by trawling. Because of the time needed for these fish to reproduce and also because of the efficiency of the trawls, several species are already widely over-exploited and an unmonitored increase in fishing can only lead to a greater decrease of this animal's available stock. On the other hand, many pelagic species living near the surface grow rapidly and breed relatively early. Purse seine nets, which are generally the means by which they are caught, have a yield that is often excellent but that seems to have little possibility of being improved upon in an appreciable way. Yet pelagic fish like mackerel, horse mackerel, mullet and especially those of the very important Clupeid family, are not generally over-exploited and represent approximately 50% of the marine fish caught in the world. In view of their abundance and their relatively modest retail price, their catch can still be increased and made profitable by using a new and even revolutionary technique, which is fishing with electricity.